Getting Him Back
by littlemissjennifer
Summary: Time travel fic. Hermione gets her hands on the last time turner to try and save her beloved Fred's life. Multi-chapter post-war fic. Fremione. Rated M for language and future sexual content.
1. Out of the Darkness

**Summary:** Time travel fic. Hermione gets her hands on the last time turner to try and save her beloved Fred's life. Multi-chapter post-war fic. Fremione. Rated M for language and possible future lemons/smut.

 **A/N: Hi everyone, this is my first ever fic and I'd appreciate constructive criticism, feedback, and love. I hope you read this and enjoy it. Just a little plot bunny that's been niggling at my brain for some time.  
Obviously this is a Fremione Fred/Hermione fic, so that part isn't exactly canon, but for the most part, I've tried to keep it all within the realm of canon and possibility.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own or make money from any of the characters/plot lines that you recognise. They are property of the very talented JKR.**

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Chapter One – Out of the Darkness

"How many times are you going to go back, Hermione?" Harry's voice cracked. His worry was written all over his face, in the crinkle of his brow, "You need to accept that he's… Fred's de-"

"NO!" she cried out. Hermione looked up at him with fire in her eyes. Her voice was barely above a whisper, "I can't give up on him, Harry. I have to exhaust all of my options before I can even fathom the idea that Fred might be… gone."

"It's been over a month since you've started using that time turner. You must have gone back at least fifty times by now. Hermione, you're wasting away here. When was the last time you ate a decent meal? You haven't interacted with anyone but me in weeks. The Weasley's are all worried about you." Harry's voice was pleading with her.

For the first time in weeks, Hermione looked around her small apartment. It was bathed in darkness save for Harry's _lumos_ because she'd accidentally blown all the lightbulbs in frustration after she'd come back from the past on a particularly bad day. There was a thin layer of dust on everything except the couch. This was where she slept – if she managed to sleep at all. She hadn't been into the bedroom since the Battle of Hogwarts; it was too painful to see his clothes in the wardrobe, the indentation in the mattress where they had lain together. Her eyes travelled to the kitchen. Takeout containers and frozen meal wrappers littered the benches and spilled out of the rubbish bin. Finally, she looked at Harry and sighed. With shaking hands and a quivering lip, she took hold of Harry's hands, "I'm sorry Harry…" and then she launched herself into his arms and sobbed. She cried for what felt like forever, Harry's arms around her as her only comfort. Harry whispered to her as she cried, soothing nonsense about Fred, but all she could feel was emptiness.

"I need you to promise me something, Hermione." Harry said into the silence that followed her sobs.

Harry shifted to grip Hermione's forearms and gaze into her puffy eyes.

"I need you to promise me that you'll take care of yourself. I know there's nothing I can say to get you to stop this quest of yours, but Fred wouldn't have wanted you to kill yourself saving him." Harry said each word carefully, urging her to understand.

"I suppose that's reasonable." Hermione said with a small, sad smile.

"Good. Now that we're agreed, I think a shower is in order. While you bathe, I'll start cleaning up this mess." Harry gestured around the room.

"Harry, I can't." she whispered, almost inaudibly. Harry looked as if he were going to say something but Hermione's quiet voice stopped him "It's going to sound so silly…" She shook her head and a breath that sounded like a laugh escaped. "The bedroom – I can't go in there – and the bathroom's just off the side. I can't get there"

Harry quelled his laughter when he caught sight of Hermione's pained face. He strode up to the far wall of the living space where, he hoped, the bathroom was connected to on the other side. He pointed his wand at the wall and began tracing the shape of a door. From the section of wall that he'd cut out, he transfigured a makeshift door to fit in the hole and walked into the bathroom. Harry gathered any of Fred's items from the bathroom cabinets and off the sink. He placed them all on Fred's side of the bed, then closed the door adjacent to the bedroom and locked it. He then began fixing the lights in the bathroom and casting a quick _scourgify_ over the dust-filled space. He ran a bath and added some oils he found on the side of the bathtub. Once the water was drawn, he walked back into the lounge and took Hermione by the hand, leading her like a child to the water.

Hermione looked around once she stepped into the bathroom. She was worried that everything in there would remind her of Fred, but Harry had seemingly taken all his things elsewhere. Out of sight, out of mind. She could pretend that this flat had just been hers, and she'd be alright. Harry noticed her shoulders slump slightly as she visibly relaxed for the first time in weeks. He left her then, promising to clean up for her and lightly threatening to hex her if she didn't get herself clean.

"Harry," Hermione's voice made him pause at the door, "thank you for doing all of this for me, but can I ask you don't clean up the bedroom."

"Of course, 'Mione." Harry smiled at her reassuringly and closed the bathroom door.

Hermione stripped herself of her clothes, peeling off each item and questioning when the last time she had changed into new clothes was. As she stepped into the warm, fragrant water, she wondered when the last time she'd had an actual shower was. The _scourgify_ charm was possibly the only thing she'd used to clean herself for a month. Hermione sank lower into the bathtub and thought back over what she had been doing since the Battle of Hogwarts.

It had been exactly fifty-three days, twelve hours, and twenty-two minutes since she last saw Fred's motionless body at the funeral. She had been an absolute wreck and the only people who truly knew why were Harry and George. How exactly do you tell the Weasley family that you'd been dating their now dead son for the past four years, moved in together and gotten engaged, all without any of them knowing? She'd become a recluse, actively avoiding anyone who wasn't Harry. George came by a few times in the beginning and they'd leant on each other for support, but seeing him, so similar to Fred, made her cry every time. She didn't want to put George through the pain of watching her cry for his twin, not when he himself was desperately trying to stay afloat. That was when she had the stroke of genius or madness, one could argue for either. In fifth year, back in the Department of Mysteries' Time Room, everyone had thought the entire collection of time turners to be destroyed. Hermione had, however, taken one identical to the one that she had used in third year, and kept it in her nightstand – 'just in case' she told herself. It was the only time she'd ventured into their bedroom since the Battle.

The first week of her using the time turner, she couldn't do anything but bear witness to the horrific event. It was as if her limbs wouldn't move. Hermione willingly subjected herself to watching the man that she loved die on repeat. Twenty times he died without her trying to do anything. She had sunk into a recess in the wall, surrounded in rubble, and sobbed until she couldn't breathe. Her tears mixed with the dust of the nearby exploding wall, and she watched as his body fell, lifeless, to the floor. Since then, she had tried countless different variants of saving him, taking out the death eater only for another to kill him on the other side, physically taking him away only to have Percy killed in his place, having heated conversations with him prior to the battle – begging him not to go – but his stubbornness, or was it bravery, forcing him into the fray regardless. Harry was the only person to know about her ventures into the past, and although he didn't particularly approve, he knew he had no power to stop the mourning woman.

She was drawn from her reverie with a knock on the bathroom door. The bath water had gone cold and her skin had begun wrinkling with the oversaturation.

"Hermione, dry yourself off and come out into the kitchen." Harry's voice was gentle on the other side of the door.

She nodded, obviously not realising that Harry couldn't see her. Hermione pulled the plug and towelled herself dry. Only then did she notice a clean pair of pyjamas sitting on the counter for her, 'Harry must have fetched them for me' she mused. As she slipped into her pyjamas, she waved her wand to dry her hair and then grabbed a hair elastic to put it up in a messy bun.

Hermione padded out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, distracted by how clean the apartment looked, impressed with Harry's handiwork. As her eyes travelled to the kitchen, she was halted in her tracks. There stood George, a sad smile on his face but immense warmth in his eyes. Her eyes were frozen on his face and she didn't know what to say.

"Come, Hermione. Let's get you eating, then we can talk." George reached a hand out to her and after a moment she took it, relaxing at the warmth his hand brought.

A lasagne had been brought over with George's explanation of "Mum" and she made a mental note to send an owl off to her almost mother-in-law. Halfway through her slice of lasagne, she turned to Harry and praised him for how clean the apartment looked, then continued by scolding him for bringing George.

"I mean no offense to you, George. I have missed your company and you are always welcome here, but I didn't want you to have to see me and be reminded of... him." Hermione apologised.

"Hermione, look at me! I'm reminded of him every time I look in the mirror." George said sadly.

Hermione smiled a little at this. He wasn't mad at her for pushing him away. Although she was still hesitant to tell him about her quest to save Fred, she thought now would probably be a good time. She pushed away the remains of her lasagne and mumbled her excuse, "Stomach kind of shrinks when you don't really eat properly."

Harry got up then and put on the kettle, "Tea always calms you." He told her pointedly, as if he knew what she was about to tell George. A thankful smile graced her lips and she began wrapping the leftover lasagne and placing it in the fridge.

Once the tea was made, Hermione took a sip and sighed. Harry excused himself, claiming to need the bathroom and squeezing her shoulders on his way out. She knew that he'd left her to tell George on her own and was grateful that he'd allowed her some privacy. Her hands were shaking and when she heard the new bathroom door click, she settled the cup back on its saucer. "George," she began, looking up at him with the rest of her sentence dying in her throat. It was suddenly very stifling in the small kitchen.

George reached a hand out to rest on her wrist, effectively dulling her shakes. "Hermione, you've always been able to tell me anything. What's troubling you?"

She took a deep breath, settling herself. "Do you know what this is?" Hermione pulled the time turner from inside the pyjamas, she never took it off.

"That's a time turner, Hermione where'd you get that?" George looked at it curiously for a moment as Hermione was silent, then, "No. No Hermione you can't be. He wouldn't want you to. You're breaking yourself over this."

"George, I can't let him go. What am I supposed to do? Move on? Find someone new?" She took a breath and then spoke with renewed fire in her voice, "I love him! I will **never** stop trying. You should know how it feels – to have the other half of you ripped away. He was my everything. I can't be happy without him. I won't let him go."

George looked thoughtful for a minute, then his hands moved to grasp Hermione's, "You're right. I understand exactly what you're going through. Sometimes I still tell the start of a joke and expect him to finish it for me." George took a breath as a pained expression crossed his face, then his featured hardened and he gazed into Hermione's anxious eyes.

"Let me help."

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 **A/N: Leave me a review, hopefully you lovely readers like this enough to let me know to keep going with it.**

 **See you on the flip side!**


	2. Repairing the Shop

**A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed, I read them all and they made me smile :) If you'd like me to respond to reviews, ask me questions, anything like that, let me know in your review and I'll post responses at the end of each chapter.**

 **I'm aiming to post a chapter a week, don't think this is going to be an incredibly long fic but we'll see where this goes. In saying that, I understand this is a little early but I'm going to try and post every Monday (I live in Australia... It's monday here).**

 **There's not much Fremione happening yet (bar a little flashback), I promise that I will get there, but for now, bear with me through this drabble. I need to set some background up, especially regarding George as he obviously plays a large part in this story.**

 **Disclaimer: JKR has created these beautiful characters and plot lines and I can only hope to take what is hers and do them justice.**

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Chapter Two – Repairing the Shop

The next week, Hermione and George spent every day together. They got into a routine that suited them both nicely. George would floo to Hermione's apartment – she couldn't go to George's, not when it was directly above Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, not with so many memories there. The two would alternate cooking breakfast for each other, then they would sit down with a cup of tea at exactly 10:30am, where Hermione would tell George about her experiences in the past and they would start to brainstorm what they could do together.

About a week and a half later, Hermione and George were sitting down to breakfast together when a thought occurred to Hermione, "George," she asked, "why aren't you working? At the joke shop?"

George stilled in his movements, "It's still almost in ruins. I can't bring myself to go there and start repairs."

"Don't you live there?" Hermione inquired.

"Well, just after the Battle, I moved into Ron's old room at mum's. It was too painful for me to be around any of Fred's things. Just last week, since I've been meeting up with you, I felt strong enough to move back into our room at mum's. It was still hard, and I know it's only the first step, but I knew I needed to face it." George spoke quietly, almost ashamedly of himself.

"And Angelina? Where's she at the moment?" Hermione asked, praying the couple had stayed together.

"She's staying with her parents at the moment, her dad took a turn after the war and she's been spending all her time with him just in case…" he trailed off. "I still go and visit her, but she knows that I'm healing, and I understand how hard it is for her and her dad at the moment."

Hermione nodded. Angelina's dad had been sick prior to the war, finding out that he'd only gotten worse made Hermione's heart pang for the poor girl.

"George, if you'd like, I could help you with the shop? Maybe with another person there it'll be easier to be there." Hermione offered. It was unspoken, 'maybe with another person who knows what you're going through' she thought to herself.

"That would be really nice 'Mione. If you feel up to it, that is." George drained his teacup. "Why don't we go there now?"

"Now!?" Hermione managed to squeak out, "I… I mean, sure. Of course. Let's go."

They both placed their teacups back on the small coffee table in her lounge. They stood almost as if in a trance, grasped hands, and George apparated them to his flat above the store.

Hermione gasped. It was exactly as she had remembered the last time they'd been there, just covered in dust.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Hermione turned to look at herself in the full-length mirror in their bedroom. "Fred, what do you think of this dress?" It was black with a sweetheart neckline and halter neck, flaring out from her waist and falling to her knees. Simple._

 _"Mia, you look radiant in everything you wear." Fred appeared in the mirror behind her, arms circling around her waist, "And if I may be so bold, you look even more radiant in nothing." He whispered into her ear cheekily._

 _Hermione turned in his arms and swatted him lightly on the chest. She laughed at his look of fake shock and he bent down to kiss her. It was soft and sweet, full of comfort and warmth, like their kisses always were. Fred's hands trailed up her back and then down her sides, resting on her hips with fingertips brushing the curve of her arse._

 _"Fred," Hermione teased, warningly, "if those hands move another inch, we're going to be late to dinner."_

 _"I won't move them, I promise, we can just stay like this all night." He said with a wink._

 _Hermione sighed over-the-top exasperatedly, "Let's get to George's and see if you behave yourself there. You never know, you might get a treat when we get home." It was her turn to wink at him now, twisting out of his embrace to fix her hair into an intricate bun._

 _"Do I look okay?" Hermione fussed once more before their fireplace._

 _"Mia, they're going to be happy for us. Stop fussing, this is just a regular dinner with my brother and his girlfriend." Fred grasped her hands and kissed her fingertips before turning her towards the fireplace._

 _The couple flooed to George's flat, stepping out and brushing soot off of their clothing. George and Angelina were relaxing on the couch with a glass of wine each, laughing softly at something George had said, evidently. When they caught sight of the other couple, they placed the wine glasses down and came to greet them each with hugs._

 _"Fred! Looking just as handsome as… well, me!" George clapped his brother on the back in their embrace. The two of them laughed at the joke that was almost always told when they met up after not seeing each other for more than a couple hours._

 _"Angie, dinner smells amazing!" Hermione said as they rolled their eyes at their boys' antics._

 _"Thanks 'Mione, chicken parmigiana tonight, George discovered it when we went to a muggle pub last weekend and has been obsessed ever since. Would either of you like a glass of wine or another drink?" Angelina asked as she motioned for them to move to the dining table._

 _"Wine please, for Fred too." Hermione accepted graciously for the both of them._

 _The two couples sat at the dining table in their assigned seats. Dinner together was weekly and alternated between their flats. They talked about everything and nothing, catching each other up on their lives. The first few dinners, Hermione felt awkward, like an outsider looking in, realising that this must be what it feels like when people try and socialise with her, Harry and Ron. Fred was the perfect gentleman, however, and pulled her into almost every discussion – even the ones about quidditch, which she had learnt to enjoy with Fred's tutelage._

 _After chicken parmigiana, Angelina brought out bowls of ice cream and hot chocolate. The two couples curled up on two couches, pulling blankets up over them and enjoying their simple dessert._

 _Midway through the next discussion, Hermione looked as if she were going to burst. George noticed her pained expression and asked, "Are you okay Hermione? You look as if you're about to have an accident on my rug. If that is the case, I strongly advise the bathroom, down the hall, to the left, you know the one."_

 _Everyone laughed at that. Hermione huffed a little but a smile tugged at the corner of her lips._

 _"Fred and I had an announcement to make tonight, but I've been psyching myself out all day." Hermione pulled out her wand and waved it over her left hand, removing the glamour charm she'd placed there before._

 _"We're engaged!" Fred said gleefully, grabbing his fiancée's hand and thrusting it towards his brother's face._

 _Angelina squealed and grasped Hermione's hand, turning to George as she smirked, "You owe me ten galleons."_

 _Hermione was shocked for a moment, before recovering her features into a radiant smile, "What exactly was the bet?"_

 _"George said Fred had been acting off at work all week and Fred had bought that ring months ago for you. I bet that he was proposing today and that you'd announce your engagement to us tonight. He said that you wouldn't be engaged yet but you'd announce it next week."_

 _The four of them laughed together and stayed snug on the couch until the early morning, when Fred and Hermione decided it was time to get back to their flat to do some celebrating on their own._

* * *

Hermione was pulled from her reverie as she looked around. The flat itself must have had incredibly strong protection spells placed upon it, remaining completely unscathed bar a large black scorch mark on the wooden floor in the living room.

"I don't think that'll come out," Hermione pointed to the scorch mark, "dark magic and all."

"That's okay. Let's check out the extent of the damage in the shop." George grasped Hermione's hand and clung on like it was a lifeline. They both descended the stairs slowly, holding their breaths in anticipation of both the destruction and the memories.

The pair reached the bottom of the stairs and there was the first sign of the damage to ensue; the door to the staircase had been blasted off its hinges and lay splintered in a metre radius around the originating site. As their eyes roamed around the room, they took stock of the damage. The scorch mark that they'd seen upstairs covered most of the ceiling and the back wall. All the windows had been blasted inwards and there wasn't even place to step without crunching on glass. It appeared as if the place had been looted as well, where rows of shelves stocked to overflowing of product normally stood, all were either bare or littered the floor in varying states of disarray.

"George," Hermione whispered, "I'm so sorry."

George said nothing, just turned to Hermione and pulled her into a tight hug, emotions washing over them both. Hermione could feel slow tears falling onto her shoulder, soaking her t-shirt. She stepped back and held George at the shoulders firmly.

"Hermione, I don't know how I'm going to do it without him." George sniffed.

"I know I'm not much of a replacement, but you've still got me." Hermione said. She'd made him promise not to get his hopes up regarding their quest to bring Fred back to them. 'Act as though he's going to be dead forever' she remembered her exact words. 'How hypocritical,' she thought, 'I'm doing the exact opposite.'

"Thanks 'Mione. Let's get started then, shall we?" he said with a renewed mindset.

George pulled his wand out and paced towards the front of the shop. He waved his wand in intricate patterns, casting the biggest _reparo_ that Hermione had seen. The windows slowly started reforming, George moving slowly enough to ensure that neither he, nor Hermione, were cut by the flying shards of glass. Hermione stood still for a moment longer and then she got to work charming a broom to sweep the debris and dust away, then a mop and bucket to follow behind it.

By three o'clock, the shop was looking like new again, needing a full stock.

"Just like the first time Fred and I stood here" George smiled wistfully.

"Except with a giant black scorch mark across half the shop." Hermione stated matter-of-factly, "What are we going to do about that?"

"Paint?" George suggested and flicked his wand to a storage cupboard.

"Will it work?" Hermione wondered out loud.

"Hey 'Mione, do you think we could do it the… muggle way?" George surveyed the extent of the scorch mark.

"Of course we can! The summer after my first year at Hogwarts, I asked dad if we could paint my room red – for all the Gryffindor spirit I had, of course. It used to be a pastel green and it reminded me of Slytherin. We spent the next week moving all my things out of the room and putting tarps down everywhere." Hermione beamed at the memory, "If I remember correctly, we had half a tin of paint left at the end and dad tipped it over my head. Mum was scrubbing paint out of my hair for three hours!" The pair laughed until George noticed Hermione's laughter had turned into hysterical sobs.

"Hermione! What's wrong?" George soothed as he came to rub circles on her back.

"I'm so selfish. I sent my parents away – obliviated them and sent them to Australia before the war to keep them safe. Ever since the Battle, all I've been trying to do is get Fred back. I haven't even started researching counter spells to see if I can recover my own parents' memories." Hermione breathed deeply, trying to calm down, when she suddenly leapt back from George.

"You smell like him." She said almost inaudibly.

"I'm so sorry Hermione, I didn't know about your parents. As soon as we've got Fred back, I'll dive head-first into research with you." George paused for a moment, "I wear his cologne sometimes, it comforts me."

Hermione nodded, "I was just shocked is all. Shall we start painting? What colour did you get?"

George hesitated before grinning the most radiant smile he'd given since Fred's death, "I have orange and purple."

"Of course you do." Hermione laughed.

They got to work painting the wall a coat of orange and the ceiling was plain purple. They decided to repaint the other walls as well, noticing how dull they looked in comparison to the vibrant orange. When they were done, they stood back and looked at the back wall.

"Not a scorch mark in sight!" Hermione smiled.

"Something's missing." George stated.

"How much purple paint do we have left?" Hermione asked, a plan forming in her mind.

"One tin, but I could order some more if you need it. What's scheming in that brain of yours?" George asked.

Hermione didn't respond. Instead, she plunged a wide paintbrush into the purple paint and flung the paint at the wall. She repeated this several times before grabbing the whole tin and splashing the remnants across the orange. The purple paint dripped down the wall slowly and with a flick of Hermione's wand, it was dry. She looked at her handiwork and beamed, then slowly turned to George, noticing that he'd been almost drenched in the purple paint, and with a quick glance down at herself, she discovered she was too.

George grinned at her, "That looks bloody brilliant! Exactly what it needed."

"Almost done." Hermione drew her wand, and again pointing at the wall, made quick flicks with her wrist. As her wand worked, golden letters that sparkled like diamonds in the sun appeared on the wall through the mess of purple.

 **WEASLEYS' WIZARD WHEEZES**

It stated, and around it, a halo of the silhouette of the two twins.

George smiled fondly at the new signage, "'Mione, it's perfect." He walked towards her and pulled her into a one-armed hug, both of them looking at the new wall.

"You can't even tell there's dark curse marks underneath it." She smiled.

George only nodded. His smile faded a little and he said quietly, "He'd be really proud of us today, I think."

"Yeah. I know he would."

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 **A/N: As always, please review :) I love to know what you think.**

 **Adieu xx**


	3. A Dinner Full of Secrets

**A/N: Thank you so so much for the reviews! I love reading them and I love getting the email alert when they come up and seeing that people are actually enjoying my writing :) so thank you very much for that - and keep them coming!**

 **I have to post a quick warning to everyone before you get stuck into this. The flashback scene contains smut. If you are offended or not here for it or would not like to read that, it doesn't particularly further the story, and I would be happy for you to skip the flashback. I didn't exactly plan for it to appear this early, but it just kind of came out. However I do recommend that you read the rest of the chapter, as there is quite a lot of character saying all that, I've never written smut before, this is my first so please don't flame too hard :3**

 **Next chapter we go back to the past! Enjoy the lemony goodness, for those of you who do read it :)**

 **Disclaimer: JKR owns all of the characters and I am forever indebted to her.**

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Chapter Three – A Dinner Full of Secrets

By the time the weekend rolled around, Hermione was itching to go back and, if not save Fred, at least see him once again. George seemed hesitant, but Hermione assured him that although there were risks time travelling, it was hard to be spotted during the battle, and that their entire purpose was to alter reality.

"Hermione, it's not that I'm scared of the time travel." George said quietly one morning. They were in the shop today, George was putting together Skiving Snackboxes and Hermione was working on a batch of Patented Daydream Charms.

"Hmm?" Hermione asked, urging George to continue.

"I'm scared of seeing Fred die." George turned to look at her, "This whole time I've been able to live in ignorance, knowing that he died, but not actually physically witnessing it. If I pretend hard enough, I delude myself into thinking he died in his sleep."

"George…" Hermione trailed off. She'd seen Fred die countless different ways, over fifty times now. She took a deep breath, "I can't lie to you, the first time is horrific, and it certainly doesn't get any easier. You know how many times I've been back. It gets to me sometimes, especially when everything I try to do is futile. It just feels completely hopeless sometimes and all I want to do is break down and cry." Hermione paused, knowing that her words weren't helping George at all, "But you know why I'm doing this, and putting myself through the torture of watching him die over and over again is worth it when I get to wake up beside him, even just for one more day. Isn't that the reason why you're doing it? To have him with us, even just for one more day?"

"Yeah… I know 'Mione." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, effectively messing it up and running sticky sweets wherever his fingers trailed. "You'll be there with me, that'll help."

"Hey, let's go do something. It's almost dinner time, I've just finished off the last of these charms, and you've got sugary goop in your hair." She smiled reassuringly at him and ruffled his hair a little, effectively sticking most of it up in a spikey mohawk mess.

George seemed grateful for the distraction. He knew that working himself up over seeing his twin's death wouldn't help him, but he just couldn't help it. "Alright then Miss Granger, we'll head upstairs and clean up. If I remember correctly, you've got some of your clothes in my spare room." George had moved back into the flat above the shop three days ago and Angelina was due back during the week.

Hermione quickly tidied up and cast stasis spells over any cauldrons they'd been working with that day, she then followed George up the stairs and into the apartment.

"Make yourself comfortable and grab those extra clothes, I'll just take a quick shower and then it's all yours." George ducked into his bedroom and then walked into the bathroom. Hermione heard the water start running as she walked towards the spare room. As soon as she opened the door, she knew it was a mistake.

* * *

 _Flashback [ A/N: Skip if you are sensitive to smut]_

 _"Just stay over. You're both_ _ **way**_ _too drunk to make it home in one piece." George stated, "Your things are already in the spare room – we really might as well call it your room, you stay in it often enough."_

 _Hermione pouted, "That's cause_ _ **you**_ _get us drunk."_

 _"And we work so late_ _ **all**_ _the time!" Fred added._

 _"Get some sleep, you two." Angelina said as George blew kisses at the couple._

 _Fred and Hermione stumbled into the guest bedroom and both kicked off their shoes together. Hermione walked her way over to the bed, tripping on her way and landing, thankfully, on the bed, however pulling Fred down with her. She did always say that when she went down, she'd drag him down too. He laughed, she smiled. They gazed into each other's eyes, caught in the moment. Fred's laughter died in his throat, and Hermione's smile faded, both replaced with a look of desire._

 _"Fred…" Hermione mumbled, eyes trailing down to his body hovering over hers, raking her way back up and lingering on his lips. Fred leant forward and captured her lips with his. Their kiss tasted like alcohol and tonight's dinner. They fumbled for a bit to begin with, intoxication properly taking control of their bodies, but soon they settled into the rhythm that came so naturally to them._

 _Fred leant back then, pulling Hermione with him by only their lingering kiss. He divested himself of his button up and began reaching for the hem of Hermione's blouse, tugging it loose from her jeans and pulling it up over her head, only then breaking the kiss. Hermione was panting now shakily pushing Fred off of her to reach for her wand. Sloppily waving it around, she cast a silencing charm on the room and a contraceptive charm on the couple, then flung her wand somewhere towards the pile of clothes they were beginning. Meanwhile, Fred was busy fumbling with his belt and slowly divesting himself of his jeans. Standing there in his boxers, Hermione's eyes were drawn to the tenting erection, licking her lips and letting a small growl escape her lips. Fred knelt down, kissing down her neck, sternum and stomach, fingers hooking into the waistband of her jeans. He tugged the jeans down over her left hip bone and he bit down, eliciting a moan from his girlfriend, tongue swirling around whilst his fingers undid her jeans. He pulled her knickers and her jeans down her smooth legs with one long tug and his tongue moved to the crease where her legs joined her pelvis, making her giggle and moan._

 _"Mia," Fred looked up at her, "I need you."_

 _Hermione almost melted then, and Fred's mouth moved towards her core. His tongue darted out tentatively, tasting her, running up her slit and teasing her clit with his warm breath. As Hermione moaned, he continued his attentions, tongue diving between her folds, lapping at her essence, then circling her clit. Suddenly flattening his tongue, he ran it over her sensitive button, continuing his ministrations as Hermione's body trembled and her thighs clenched around his head. Rhythmically, Fred kept laving at her clit, knowing how Hermione's body adjusted and reacted to the attention, pushing her closer and closer to her orgasm._

 _"Ohhh…" Hermione let out a shaky breath and with one last lash of his tongue, he plunged two fingers deep into her core, hitting that spot that made her come undone, "Fre- Fred… YES!"_

 _And with that, Hermione's body completely unravelled, breasts heaving off of the bed and hips pushing herself further into Fred, his tongue, his fingers. As she fell back to the bed, Fred lapped up her juices and crawled his way up her body, making a stop to pay her beautiful breasts the attention that they deserved. One hand snaked its way to fondle her right breast, rolling the nipple between his fingers as his mouth placed delicate kisses on the left mound, tongue swirling around the nipple before sucking it into his mouth and tugging slightly with his teeth. He swapped sides, kissing between her breasts and lingering just a fraction of a second longer over her heart. Hermione's fingers latched onto the hem of Fred's boxers, pushing them down as far as she could before he shimmied out of them and kicked them in the general vicinity of the growing pile of clothes. He moved further up her body then, his erection brushing past her heat, slicking slightly with her juices and resting on the lower part of her stomach. Her hands tangled in his hair as his mouth descended on hers once again, tongue asking for entrance against her lips. Once she granted her permission, her tongue lashed out into his mouth, battling for dominance and winning._

 _She moaned into the kiss and broke apart for a moment, pulling his ear to her lips, "I love it when I can taste myself on your tongue." She whispered, breath tickling his earlobe, tongue caressing the outer shell of his ear as she released his head, kissing him passionately when she found his lips again. With this revelation, Fred grew impossibly harder, leaking precum onto his girlfriend's perfectly flat stomach._

 _"Merlin Hermione, you drive me crazy." He growled when he pulled away from her again. He grasped his erection with his hand, pumping slowly as she watched in anticipation. He moved himself, dragging the head through her soft, wet folds, dipping in just slightly – just enough to tease a reaction out of the beautiful woman beneath him. Then his hands gripped her hips and he thrust into her completely, eyes locked on his writhing Mia as her head fell back and eyes snapped shut. She let out a breathy moan and Fred's cock twitched deep inside her at the noise, eliciting a second moan._

 _"I need you, Fred. Move, please." Hermione pleaded with her lover._

 _With no further hesitation, Fred began to thrust deep inside of her, moving with slow precision – something he hadn't thought he possessed whilst inebriated. She shuddered as he hit that bundle of nerves that drover her closer to her peak, heat coiling inside her, building to her ultimate release._

 _"Mia, I love you." Fred came down to rest on his elbows, one arm tucked underneath her shoulder to grip her, the other hand caressing her face as he placed tender kisses from her shoulder up her neck, sucking hard on a spot just below her ear._

 _"I love you too, Fred." Hermione managed before another moan escaped her swollen lips._

 _Fred's thrusts began to quicken, Hermione's hips matching with his, lifting to bury her lover's cock deep inside her. She began crying out, short incoherent strings of swearing, dirty words of encouragement, and the occasional "Merlin, Fred!" and he continued into her, teeth finding any surface of her body to litter with love bites, hands gripping almost too tightly to anything he could cling on to for support. He whispered in her ear, things that he knew drove her crazy, made her wetter than she would have imagined, and caused her walls to flutter, one of the signs Fred used to tell when his lover was close._

 _And then, "Cum for me, Mia." Fred commanded, growling in her ear, "Cum for me, love."_

 _And she did. Hermione let go, her walls clamped down on Fred's throbbing cock, milking him as he came with her, slowing his thrusts until they both collapsed on each other, limbs tangled together with dopey smiles on their faces._

 _Fred rolled off her then and wordlessly summoned his wand, casting a quick spell to clean them both up as his seed leaked out of his girlfriend's perfect pussy. Then he pulled the blanket over the spent couple, pulled his already almost sleeping girlfriend to him, and kissed her on the forehead before she snuggled into his embrace._

 _"I love you." He whispered into her hair._

 _"I love you too." She replied sleepily._

* * *

 _Knocking on their bedroom door woke the pair, the light suddenly too bright and their lack of clothing too cold as they battled themselves awake._

 _"Fred, Hermione, I have hangover potions and a nice, fatty breakfast here for you. Get some clothes on and come join us in the world of the living." The way too chipper voice of Angelina floated through the door._

 _Hermione groaned and sat up, her usually unruly hair a right state this morning._

 _"The combination of sex hair and bed hair in this light kinda looks like you have a giant glowing halo around your beautiful face, Mia." Fred reached for her hand and kissed her knuckles._

 _"Fred, as sweet as that is, I can tell you one hundred percent that I look like a static mop." She smiled, kissed him on the cheek, and then flung her legs out of bed. Hermione pulled herself up and dragged herself over to the drawers in the corner, pulling comfortable clothes out for herself, and throwing clothes at Fred as she came across them. They dressed silently, neither really wanting much noise at this point in the morning, retrieved their wands, and walked outside._

 _As they stumbled out into the hallway, the smell of bacon and eggs hit them and they all but floated into the kitchen. Angie gave them both hangover potions first and served them plates full of the bacon and eggs that they had smelled._

 _"Mmm…" Hermione moaned at the effects of the hangover potion hitting her, along with the taste of bacon on her tongue._

 _Angie and George shared a look for the briefest moment, before George turned to smirk at the slowly recuperating couple, "Hermione, dear, I think I've heard enough moaning from you last night to last me a lifetime."_

 _Hermione flushed red and stammered for a moment, "But- But I cast the charm and everything!"_

 _"You must have been way drunker than you thought then, because if I wasn't so good at my own silencing charms, I would've gone spare listening to my twin banging in the next room." George laughed._

 _Fred had gone completely white, turning to Hermione with a trembling voice, "But you cast a contraception charm last night too."_

 _The room fell silent for a moment, before Hermione said, "Oh don't worry, that's just extra protection. I'm on the muggle contraceptive pill too, just for moments like these." She winked at him then._

 _"Aww, I thought I was getting a little niece or nephew running around my apartment. Don't get my hopes up like that!" George whined and they all laughed._

 _"Maybe one day." Fred mused as he placed an arm around his love, kissing her on the side of her head and holding her with the promise of a future together._

* * *

George walked out of the bathroom, towelling his hair dry, and found Hermione in a crumpled heap on the floor in the doorway to his spare room, knees drawn to her chest and rocking slowly as she whispered to herself. He flung himself to the ground, towel forgotten on the floor, and he gathered her into his arms.

"Hermione, hey, shh," he soothed, knowing exactly what his mistake had been, "here come with me, everything's going to be alright." He took her in his arms and lifted her light frame, walking her to the couch where he gracefully deposited her. He retrieved a blanket to wrap around her shoulders and put the kettle on, knowing how tea would help her at this time.

Once Hermione had finished her first teacup, George noticed a shift in Hermione's demeanour and he went to prepare her a second cup. By the end of that one, she seemed much better and turned to George full of apologies. He held up his hand, halting her before they even came out of her mouth.

"Save them, 'Mione." He lowered his hand, "I know exactly how it feels. It was stupid and insensitive of me to ask you to fetch those clothes yourself. I should be the one apologising to you." He sat beside her and pulled her into a one-armed hug.

"It's alright, George. Even I couldn't have anticipated how strongly I would have been affected by that room. Just brought a lot of memories back, that's all." Hermione smiled sadly. "I'd like to try and go back in there, if that's okay with you. I didn't actually get any of my clothes. Come with me?" she asked quietly.

"Of course, I'll be right next to you. Here for each other, remember?" George stood and took her hand, walking with her back to the spare room. They stood in the doorway for a moment, George waiting for Hermione to take the first step inside. When she finally did, she released a breath she didn't realise she had been holding. She walked to the chest of drawers, knowing that Fred's clothes were mixed in with hers. Pulling open the drawer like ripping a Band-Aid off, she quickly and methodically sorted through the clothes to find something suitable for dinner, tears welling in her eyes the longer she looked, then closed the drawer with as much reverence as she could muster.

"Right, I'll have a quick shower, and then I'll be right out with you." Hermione smiled. She had done it, she had conquered that first step. She knew she wasn't ready to go into the bedroom in her own flat yet, but she was ready to face the torture of her dying lover again. She needed him back with her. Desperately.

After her shower, Hermione wandered back into the living room, waving her wand at her head trying to tame the mountain of curls on top. She glanced up to find a nervous looking Weasley twin pacing a hole into his rug while intermittently tugging at his collar.

"What's wrong, George?" Hermione frowned.

"Well, I was just wondering – and you can say no if you want to, really I don't have a big preference either way – I just kind of hoped…" George rambled and glanced up at the clock.

Hermione noticed, '5:50pm, what makes that so… oh.' 6pm on the first Sunday of every month, Molly and Arthur had the whole Weasley clan over for dinner. "You want me to go to The Burrow for dinner with you." She stated simply, although her stomach was doing flips as she thought of the rest of the Weasley family.

"How? I-" George knew not to question how she had figured it out, "Yeah."

"With you and Harry there, I think I'll be fine. Between the two of you, you know my tells, you know when I'm about to implode." She laughed, a bubble of nerves forcing it out harsher than she had intended. "Let's go, before I change my mind."

The pair stepped into the floo and appeared in The Burrow's fireplace a moment later. The raucousness that had greeted them suddenly quietened, to the point where you would've heard a chocolate frog trying to escape Ron's clutches. Hermione wasn't sure she'd ever heard the Weasley household this quiet in her entire life. Just as she started to get uncomfortable, Molly bounded over to her and pulled her into one of those famous, bone-crushing hugs.

"Oh Hermione, dear, how lovely for you to join us. We've all been absolutely worried sick about you." Molly beamed at the younger woman. Her expression then turned stern as she pulled back and whipped out her pointer finger, waving it around in Hermione's face like it was a wand, accentuating her next sentence, "Don't you dare do that ever again, you hear me young lady? You're family, and family doesn't just disappear overnight, not to be heard from for months."

"Sorry." Hermione apologised, and she meant it. "I know it's been tough for everyone. I just needed some time to myself. I think it's done me some good." She looked up at George and over to Harry as if for confirmation of this fact. The boys smiled at her and she felt a little relief in this overbearing house.

"Come now everyone, dinner's ready, let's head to the table." Molly ushered everyone to the dinner table where her usual feast was already spread out. On the table sat three different roasts, peas, gravy, roasted vegetables, and a salad. The kids all went to their almost seemingly assigned seats. Arthur sat at the head of the table, Molly next to him on the corner – but with her back to the kitchen so that she could have easy access, Bill and Fleur on Arthur's other side, then Charlie, Percy and Penelope Clearwater – his girlfriend, Ron next to Molly, then Ginny and Harry. Hermione took her place next to Harry, and George sat beside her, immediately feeling more relaxed in this house full of her dead fiancée's family. She felt his absence more than ever here, especially seeing the chair that he used to occupy taken up by his identical (save for an ear) twin.

"Oi George, where's Angie tonight?" Charlie called across the table as the sound of clattering utensils and loud Weasley family reunion chatter began.

"At her parents' place still. Her dad's not getting much better, unfortunately. Unless some miracle happens, he might not last the next month. She's moving back in with me sometime this week, but I'm sure she'll be with him every day until…" George trailed off.

"I'm sorry, mate. Anything we can do for her, let her know yeah?" Charlie said sincerely.

George only nodded and began picking at his food with less than his usual vigour.

Hermione sat at the table almost blown away at the reminder of how much noise the Weasley clan could make. She did notice, however, the amount of noise that they weren't making. With one of the twins decommissioned until she could find a way to bring him back, George wasn't making up for the usual antics that they used to get up to at family dinners. She began reminiscing about the time that she'd spent at The Burrow; all the various pranks the twins had played over the years, intimate moments that she had shared with Fred in the surrounding trees by cover of darkness or in a lonely kitchen, the schemes that the Golden Trio had concocted throughout her mess of a childhood.

Harry squeezed her leg, bringing her back to reality, "It's good to see you, Mi. Not just you and me, it's good that you're here, with your family." Harry smiled at her, "You look much better."

"You helped with that, Harry Potter. You and George pulled me out of that awful place I was in. I haven't felt this good since… well, you know." Hermione finished lamely.

Hermione began eating her food again, looking around the Weasley family, observing with a keen eye what she'd missed out on in the last few months and chatting intermittently throughout. Percy had one arm around Penelope, talking easily with Charlie. Percy seemed much happier with his family since the war. George had told her that Percy had felt almost responsible for Fred's death, and taking it hard, he felt it necessary to make amends with his family and spending as much time as he could with them. Penny looked less than thrilled to be here though, her eyes darting around occasionally, then Hermione's eye caught on a fuzzy looking patch on Penelope's left hand. 'That's a shoddy disillusionment charm if I've ever seen one.' Hermione thought to herself. As if on cue, Penny looked directly into Hermione's eyes and discretely placed a finger to her lips. Understanding, Hermione nodded, but smiled at the young woman and made a mental note to congratulate her and Percy on their engagement (as well as teaching her how to properly cast a glamour charm), willing her own secret engagement to Fred out of her mind.

The next thing that stood out was Fleur and Bill. Bill seemed to be doing everything for Fleur, with the latter barely lifting a finger even to eat. As much as this seemed rather cute and relatively normal, Bill seemed almost frantic and clumsy in his actions and Fleur kept one of her hands rested somewhere under the table. 'We'll keep an eye on that one.' Hermione mentally noted and her eyes wandered further.

Ginny and Harry both ate with one hand, the other under the table, grasped firmly together and resting on Ginny's lap. Hermione wasn't surprised by this in the least. Now that the war was over, Harry could freely be with Ginny. Instead of Voldemort, the only overbearing terror in his life was the wrath of Molly Weasley if he ever so much as touches a hair on her darling Ginny's head. It also then came as no surprise, due to the couple's predisposition to breaking the rules, when Hermione had read about their sexual endeavours one day in an all too explicit letter sent from Ginny herself. The two had reconnected after the day Harry had cleaned her apartment, picking up their friendship from the exact place that they left off. Hermione had written back curtly to inform her that she would have to burn her eyes out and obliviate herself reading all about Harry's sex life – whom she considered her brother – and _would you kindly please refrain from going into_ _ **that**_ _much detail in the future. Please._ Ginny looked up and winked at her, almost knowing exactly what was passing through her head. Hermione stifled a laugh and turned pink, with Harry sitting between the girls oblivious to what knowledge had passed between his girlfriend and his best friend.

It was at this moment that Fleur chose to stand and excuse herself from the bathroom, with Hermione noticing now that her hand was resting discretely on her stomach, Bill's eyes following his wife from the room. 'Pregnant!' she thought to herself, 'Oh how wonderful!'

Dinner plates were being magically whisked away and bowls full of apple pie and ice cream were replacing them along with mugs of tea and hot chocolate. Hermione looked gleefully at her dessert, smiling up at the matriarch of the family and about the mention that it was her favourite, when she felt a pair of eyes on her.

Ronald Weasley. Her best friend of going on eight years. He stared at her intensely with an expression of anger, almost hatred, etched upon his face. Hermione opened her mouth to question him, when Arthur stood to address the group.

"It's rare to have all the family together, and I know we're missing Angelina – our thoughts are with her and her family at this trying time for them, but I just want to say how proud I am to see all of your faces together again. Since the war, since… Fred," Arthur paused and looked down for a moment, "it's just lovely to have the family back together. We need each other now more than ever." He looked pointedly at Hermione and smiled gently, "I'm glad you came back to us."

Arthur resumed his seat as the rest of the Weasley clan smiled and began chatting with Hermione, although she noticed out of the corner of her eye, Ron pull out his chair with a huff and stalk out of the room. She sighed, knowing that she would have to go and talk to him about whatever was bothering him, but for now, she was smiling and laughing and having a lovely time with the only family that she had left, and he wasn't going to ruin that for her.

As dinner wound down, the family moved into the lounge room, sprawling out over sofas and the floor, playing games of exploding snap or wizarding chess, or just chatting by the fire with a hot mug of cocoa. Hermione quietly talked to Penny and Percy in a corner, acting natural but keeping their voices down so they didn't draw attention to themselves.

"Congratulations on your engagement." Hermione smiled, fingering her own (invisible at the moment) engagement ring, "I think that you both are wonderful together and I respect your decision to not tell anyone. Promise I won't say anything, you have my word."

"Thanks, Hermione." Penny said, relief at having someone else in the family privy to her secret, making it easier to bear.

Hermione pulled her wand out of her pocket and waved it over Penelope's hand, muttering the incantation for the disillusionment spell that she used for her own ring. "If you have some time this week, I'll have you over for tea and I'll teach you that spell." Hermione grinned at the pair.

"You're wonderful." Penny pulled her in for a tight hug and Percy smiled, accepting her offer and suggesting Thursday afternoon.

Bill and Fleur stood from the couch that they were on. "Well it's getting late, I think we're going to head off." Bill announced and the pair started making their way around the group for variations upon hugs, handshakes, and hearty slaps on the back. When the couple arrived at Hermione, Bill hugged her and whispered in her ear, "Thanks for not letting slip our little secret. We don't want to let anyone know yet, it's too early, just in case…" he trailed off, but Hermione understood his meaning. "It's really good to have you back, Mi."

"It's good to be back, Bill." She smiled at him and kissed Fleur on both cheeks before the two eventually disappeared through the floo.

"Ready to go, 'Mione?" George appeared at her side.

"Not quite." Hermione replied, distractedly looking for Ron amongst the throng of red-heads.

"He's in the garden. Out on the bench." George said, seemingly reading her mind.

"If I'm not back within twenty minutes, one of us has killed the other, and let me tell you, I am **definitely** the better dueller." Hermione gritted her teeth and grabbed a spare coat by the back door, shrugging it on as she traipsed through the muddy grass to find Ron.

"Oh, hello Hermione. Nice to see you. What's it been, three months?" Ron asked sarcastically as she approached.

"I'm sorry Ron, I know I should have contacted you, but I was hurting-" She began.

" **You** were hurting!? **I** was hurting, Hermione. **This whole family** was hurting. We lost a brother. We lost a son. We lost our spirit when Fred died. What family did you lose? No one. Your parents are safe and sound in Australia and you don't have anyone else." Ron's words cut her like a knife to the heart.

"But Fred **is** my family… too." She hastily added.

"No he's not, Hermione. Stop deluding yourself thinking that you're even wanted here. My parents only play nice to you because you're **my** friend. My brothers only **tolerate** you because, guess what, you're **my friend**. And I'm half sure Fred didn't even know your name. You probably couldn't even tell which twin was which until George got his bloody ear blown off." Ron continued his tirade, standing up and towering over Hermione's smaller stature.

"That's not true. In fact, no one in your family **but me** could tell those twins apart, every single time." Hermione admitted almost smugly, 'admittedly, I was dating one of them' she added to herself.

"Don't start, Hermione. You don't know what you're talking about. You're going to tear my family apart if they hear you speaking like that." Ron shook his head, a dark gleam in his eyes, his body half silhouetted from the porch lights. "I don't know where you get off, thinking you're above us all, crying how you did at Fred's funeral, as if he was an important person to you. Well, Hermione, I'm sure he was bloody well more important to his **family** than he ever was to you."

"Ron, please, I love him." Hermione said quietly, before she even knew what she was saying.

"Ha." Ron let out a snort, "Love him? Like a brother, right? You can't have loved him any other way. He knew damn well that you were mine." At this, Hermione was repulsed, her face contorted in disgust and anger. "Even back in first year, mum always said we'd be the ones to get married – 'Hermione is like another daughter to me' (a poor impression of his mother's voice) – and I believed her. I'm in love with you, Hermione. I didn't really want it to come out this way, but it's obvious you've forced my hand. One day, you **will** be part of this family. **Then** you'll be able to cry about **my** family like the blubbering lunatic you were at Fred's funeral."

"Ron, you arrogant git. Get your head out from your own bloody arse for one minute." George thundered, it had obviously been twenty minutes. He walked over to Hermione, standing half in front of her, an arm wrapped behind him, holding on to her arm. It's not that he thought Hermione couldn't stand up for herself, just that she wouldn't against Ron. He had a way with manipulating her, playing into every recess of her self-consciousness, and he had since they were in first year together.

"Come to rescue her, George? Well you should've heard the things she's been saying about Fred." Ron started.

"I did, Ron. Besides, Hermione and I have been in contact since the war. We've been helping each other through this time, which is more than I can say you've been doing for any of us. She's my sister as much as you are my brother, maybe even more at this point. You can't just force your love on someone and **claim** them!" He used air quotes around the word "claim".

"I'm not forcing my love on her. I know Hermione. She loves me too." Ron said defiantly, confidently puffing his chest out.

"Sure, she loves you. But she loves you like she loves me. She loves you like a brother, Ron." George took a step back, pressing Hermione closer to him.

"When did you become an expert on Hermione Granger's feelings? You barely know her, George. She's in love with me." Ron spat.

"That's enough!" The booming voice of Molly Weasley on a rampage came clearly from the porch where she was standing, both hands on her hips and an angry expression on her face. The short matriarch stormed her way towards the trio, more than making up for her stature in the way she held herself when mad.

"Ronald. Bilius. Weasley." Molly scolded, "You **never** own a woman. Have you even asked Hermione how she feels about you!?"

Ron's ears tinged pink in embarrassment and rage. "You're on **her** side!? You're **my** mother."

"And she is as much a part of this family as you, or George, or Charlie is." Molly continued. "I may have given birth to you, but I've practically adopted her and Harry – or are you going to tell me that Harry's not part of this family too?" The look she gave him was a challenge.

"No, of course not, but Harry doesn't have any parents of his own." He began, trying to make her see reason.

"Family isn't decided based on blood, nor is it based on whether or not your best friend has parents. Hermione is my daughter too." Molly had come to stand beside Hermione now, George standing back and slinging his arm around his twin's fiancée.

"But you said I'd marry her one day." Ron was shocked, losing this fight, losing things that he thought were his and his alone. Hermione was his. His family was his. His mother was his. Why was everyone trying to take what was his away from him, always.

"I said it would be nice if Hermione was made a part of this family in marriage." Molly looked at Hermione now, "But I never intended for you to claim her and try and force your love down her throat."

Hermione smiled at Molly, twisting her concealed engagement ring around her finger in anxiety. If the older witch noticed, she didn't say anything at this time, and an enraged Ron was never observant.

"I see how it is." Ron was defeated for now but knowing him, he wouldn't give up this easily. He turned his back on the three and walked towards the apparition point behind the back shed.

Molly turned to Hermione when she heard the crack of Ron disapparating, placing two hands on either side of her face, she tilted it until Hermione looked at her. "You'll always be part of this family, dear. You know how Ron gets. He lets his anger run away with him. One day I'm sure he'll get over his infatuation for you and find himself a girl to mellow his temper."

"He's practically obsessed with her, mum." George looked worried, images of a deranged Ronald Weasley cutting Harry out of photos of the Golden Trio came to his mind and he shuddered.

"Then you'll have to make sure she keeps good company for a while, at least until he comes to his senses." Molly smiled then. "Come back inside, it's cold and I've got some hot cocoa left for you both before you go."

For the first time since the war, Hermione wasn't thinking about getting Fred back. She was simply grateful that this amazing witch thought of her as a daughter and tinged with sadness for the family that had almost known a reality in which she truly was one of them.

Hermione twisted the ring around on her finger again. This night was full of family secrets, and only half of them were her own.

* * *

 **A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter. There was quite a lot of dialogue. Apologies to those who like Ron, I am not one of those people, and I truly believe he will erupt into fits of jealousy as his character seems to be painted in that light, what with being the last of seven brothers.**

 **I also have to say, this chapter has over 6,000 words, more than 3x the length of the last two chapters. I couldn't cut it anywhere into two, so you've got one super long chapter. Please don't expect them all to be this long from now on. I just got a bit carried away this time... :)**

 **Until next time!**


	4. The First Trip

**A/N: Sorry, I know it's a day late. I just got halfway through this chapter and didn't know how to proceed. To be honest, I'm not 100% happy with this just because the words didn't come out sounding right the way I wanted to, but I hope I still convey everything I intended. I've also been quite creative with what happens in the future, hopefully a bit of setup but also background so it's not weird when things happen in the coming chapters.**

 **As always, read and leave me a review :) I do so love to read your thoughts and opinions!**

 **Disclaimer: JKR owns all of the characters and I make no money from this.**

* * *

Chapter Four – The First Trip

It had been exactly one month since Harry had cleaned up her apartment and today was the day that Hermione was going to take George into the past. She thought she'd prepared him as thoroughly as she possibly could have.

"Got everything?" Hermione looked up at George from her position on the floor, arm wedged deep inside her beaded bag.

"Yeah Mi. You only went over this with me at least a hundred times just this morning." George replied, teasing in his voice.

"One can never be over prepared for this, George." Hermione tutted.

"Speaking of which, there's something I've been meaning to ask you about this whole… situation." George gestured around aimlessly with apprehension in his eyes.

Hermione stopped what she was doing and sat next to him on the couch, "Sure George, what's bothering you?"

"It's just, I know you don't want me to get my hopes up, and I know all about what will happen while we're there, and if we don't succeed everything will stay the same, but I just…" George trailed off, searching for the right words, "What happens to **us** if we get him back?"

Hermione breathed for a minute, almost seeming like she wasn't going to continue, then, "There's no conclusive data on this kind of stuff. I did a lot of research back in third year about time turners, really going in depth with any stories I could find. A lot of them were made up, but I sorted through all of that."

"Third year?" George interrupted, curiosity catching him.

"Professor McGonagall lent me a time turner so that I could take extra subjects. In retrospect, I should've just dropped Divination, but I suppose I need to broaden my horizons – if I, a muggleborn, can believe in magic, then I can definitely learn to believe in the mysterious arts of divination." Hermione rambled.

"Okay, that's wicked, but we're a little off topic. Tell me what the little know-it-all found." George narrowly dodged a half-hearted flailing limb thrown his way and laughed nervously.

"First we need to assume that we are living in parallel universes. If other people have done this, it would have a knock-on effect into the future of not only them, but other people surrounding them. Every time I tried to save him and I happened upon a new outcome, I believe it evolved into a new reality. The issue is that all of the written accounts must be speculation. Either there are people out there who really have changed something in the past and just haven't written anything, or this universe – our universe – is full of people who died trying. There are three alternatives, you see. If we really do bring Fred back, then either, the two of us as we are now fade from existence, because there can't be two sets of us, or we are stuck in this reality where we can't get him back and eventually we go on to live our lives without him…" Hermione paused for George's sigh, "or… well this is the more complicated one, you see. I think from what I can gather, if we want it enough, our spirits somehow merge with the people of the new reality, and we therefore gain the memories of the George and Hermione who lived without Fred dying but retain these ones." Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose, screwing up her face and shaking her head, "I know how stupid it sounds, **if we want it enough** , but if Harry can survive the Killing Curse because of his mother's love, then maybe we can retain these memories when we get Fred back. Personally I like the idea, and although I really do want to live in hope of it, I can't see, logically, how it makes sense – but we are magic."

"What about the reality that we live in now? If we get him back and merge with ourselves from the other universe, do we cease to exist here?" George pondered.

"From my own speculation and research, I believe that it's more like the two realities merge into one where both existed simultaneously until the point where they combined. However it will seem different for the people who knew we went back in time. For example, I believe your mother would just have nightmares or déjà vu, remembering Fred's death without it happening – but you, me and Harry would know otherwise." Hermione scratched her head, "I really don't like not knowing conclusively what happens, but I honestly can't find enough research about this subject."

George leant his head in his hand on the arm of the couch and was quiet for a long time; a lot of information had just been thrown in his face and he was having trouble processing it. Hermione had found the same issues when she was confronted with this information, or lack of it. She hated the void of study into the area, dedicating her own time to it when she could. This entire exploit of hers had been documented thoroughly by her pen – every trip she took, she wrote down every detail of it and her speculations in journals. She shared these journals with George one day with the only comment he made being "how can you be so clinical?" in wonder, and asking to borrow one to better understand what he was getting himself into.

George finally turned to Hermione, his face full of sadness, "I really love the idea that if we get him back we'll know how much we went through, but I can't help but feel like it's wishful thinking at this point." He reached for his empty cup and started walking towards the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway and turned back to Hermione, "You say when, you know? When you're not thinking about it, you say **when** we get him back. Not if."

* * *

It was almost two in the afternoon when the pair was finally ready to make the trip – not that it really mattered what time it was, just how many extra turns on the time turner. Hermione had all the essentials packed up in her beaded bag, both dressed in clothes similar to what they were wearing on the day of the Battle, but distinguishing enough that if they got separated, they'd be able to tell the difference between past and present selves.

Hermione had made sure that George had recounted several times where he was in the Battle during their allotted timeframe, in order to ensure that he didn't run into himself. They had both shared their past whereabouts and what exactly they were doing at the time, making sure they were also distracted enough to not show up unannounced.

"Are you ready, Hermione?" George asked, running a hand through his hair to fidget.

"As ready as I always am in this situation." Hermione grasped George's hand and apparated them from her apartment to an apparition point in Hogsmeade.

The two began their walk up to the Hogwarts grounds, with repairs not yet begun due to ongoing politics surrounding Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic, it was easy to find a good place to stop. The castle was covered in a thick layer of dust, rubble scattered haphazardly across the beautiful landscape. It was eerily quiet, as if the entire atmosphere had been preserved – placed under an incredibly powerful stasis charm – and forgotten about. Hermione shivered and George wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders as they trudged through the abandoned ruins of their childhood home away from home. Hermione led George to the alcove that she had been using for her trips and pulled the time turner and chain from inside her blouse.

"Remember, don't be seen if possible, stay close to me at all times, and stick to the plan." Hermione rattled off as she hooked the long chain around George's neck as well, beginning to count as she twisted the dial on the side of the time turner.

"Got it. Good luck, Hermione." George steeled his expression as Hermione released the small crank and they were sucked back to the Battle of Hogwarts.

The first thing that hit George was the chaotic noise of battle. He felt Hermione unhook the time turner and grab hold of his elbow, nudging and guiding him to follow her out of the alcove and up two flights of stairs. He doubted that he'd be able to hear her over the general loudness of the situation and opted to run through the plan inside his head.

Hermione felt nervous. It was uncharacteristic, considering how numb she'd become – almost desensitising herself to the entire situation by being here as often as she could. However, bringing George, taking the month hiatus, the pressure she felt to bring back her love, it was all weighing heavily on her today, settling itself in the pit of her stomach in an angry, nervous knot. She tugged on George's sleeve, nodding towards a darkened classroom where they barricaded themselves for the moment.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked George gently, although some of the gentleness was lost in her yelling over the sound of a crumbling wall.

"It's expectedly surreal, but I'm okay." George replied, giving her a thumbs up for good measure.

Hermione smiled at George, opening her mouth to continue, but then her eyes caught something behind him and her expression faltered, her face turning white. George looked concerned for a moment, but it quickly dawned on him that his twin was probably some distance behind him. If he just turned around…

His red hair stood out in contrast to the bleakness of everything around him, eyes still sparkling even in the heat of battle. Fred had a firm grip on his wand and an expression of pure determination set on his face. Percy rounded the corner then, relief flooding his features when he realised it was only his brother and not one of the countless death eaters that he had already encountered on his way to this floor. The two of them spoke for a moment as George and Hermione watched a death eater appear from the other direction, wand aimed at the pair in the light.

George remained motionless. His eyes were fixed on his twin, a multitude of emotions coursing through his body at that moment. Tears began forming in his eyes but he made no motion to stop them as they started rolling down his face. Sadness, an overwhelming amount of sadness – over two months without his other half had been torture, and there he was, smiling not ten metres away from him, oblivious to what was happening. George was vaguely aware of Hermione's presence, maybe an attempt to pull him somewhere, either way nothing was drawing him from this moment where he saw his twin again, like it was the first time. He was openly sobbing now, it was cruel to see what could be right in front of his eyes, without having seen him for so long – too long.

Hermione gave up her attempts at pulling him. There would be no saving Fred today, she had to be content with watching him die again. Admittedly, she had suspected that the first time, maybe even the first few times she had brought George back, she would be subjected to reliving her fiancée's death due to whatever reaction that he had, however she had not prepared to feel like it was her first time all over again.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Hermione's hands shook as she twisted the dial on the time turner. She had borrowed Harry's invisibility cloak and pulled it tight to her body. After being pulled back in time she found herself rooted to the spot. She began a long tirade in her mind, barraging herself in worries she had long convinced herself didn't matter. She slowly made her way up the stairs, careful to avoid people if she could, making a mental note of where things were happening at the time. When she arrived at the corridor that she knew would be the place that her fiancée was murdered, she froze, her eyes fixated on a spot on the wall, unseeing._

 _Hermione had not been doing well in the days leading up to this completely irrational decision to come back and save Fred. She had slept a total of three hours in the past week and survived on takeout and tea laced heavily with calming draught. Harry had told her this was madness. She had tried to explain her point of view to him, sharing her need for closure and omitting the potential attempt to bring her lover back to life. Eventually he had caved in, forcing her to promise him that she'd be careful and take his cloak. He was glad that she'd at least shared her plan with him, so he knew where she was going, even if she refused to let him go with her._

 _She quickly looked around, spotting a deserted classroom that was half shrouded in darkness, and making her way inside. He appeared where she had been standing not a minute ago, looking just as he always had, but with dirt smeared across his skin and apprehension in his eyes. He startled when Percy had arrived, and Hermione jumped right along with him. Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears – who she was trying to be strong for, she didn't know._

 _Throughout the ensuing battle with the masked death eater, Hermione stood transfixed. Her eyes never once moved from Fred's face, watching his every move, drinking him in as if she'd never see him again. She watched Percy say something that made Fred laugh, she smiled at that, seeing his face so happy, almost missing the wayward spell hitting the castle wall behind him. Hermione screamed as the wall crumbled down around her beloved._

 _"Fred!" she choked out, sobs wracking her body and tears streaming down her face, "No! Fred, no!"_

 _Percy couldn't hear her over the sound of a continuing battle. His frantic scrambling with the rubble and his own cries echoing off the walls filled the hallway._

 _Hermione crumpled to the floor in her hideaway. She couldn't continue watching this. She had just sat through her own personal sadistic form of torture. 'Why did I put myself through this?' Hermione pleaded with herself, 'What sick reason could I possibly have?'_

 _After what seemed like hours, Hermione dragged herself off of that classroom floor. The hallway had been relatively deserted after the cave in, and Voldemort had called for the fighting to cease shortly afterwards. Percy had been back with help, taking Fred's body away from her, bringing him to the Great Hall. She walked cautiously towards the fallen wall. Fred's blood still stained the bricks there, pooling on the floor and coating the rubble. She was crying again, replaying his death over in her mind. She had seen enough. She had been here for long enough. She twisted the time turner in her fingers, forwards, back to the time she was from._

 _The rubble remained the same. Everything was the same. She was alone, without Fred, still._

* * *

Hermione looked up just in time to see the wall crumble down upon Fred. George collapsed, crying out and sobbing. All she felt was emptiness, how empty it was without him. 'Fred should be here right now, consoling his twin.' She thought, 'Fred should be here and then we wouldn't even be in this situation!' She stooped down in the darkness, George's features barely visible in the dim light. She reached out for him and he launched himself into her arms, quickly drenching her shirt in his tears.

"I'm sorry, Mi." George sobbed, "I'm sorry."

He kept repeating his apologies, whether it was for his breakdown or not having come with her sooner, Hermione didn't know at that moment, but she didn't need to.

"George, I'm here." She soothed, a quake in her voice, "We'll get through this."

She hadn't noticed when she had started crying, but her tears were rapidly falling onto her curled up companion. She hadn't realised how much she needed him, just having another person to understand what she was going through really made a difference, and he relied on her just as much. How different would her first trip have been if she'd brought George along from the very beginning.

The two cried together in each other's' arms, neither willing to break the silence.

After a while, Hermione pulled the time turner from inside her blouse again, draped it over the two of them, and took them back into the present. George looked up at her, like a child, helpless.

"We'll try again tomorrow."

 **A/N: Another chapter down, see you next week!**


	5. An Unwelcome Meddler

**A/N: Let me start off by apologising profusely for not posting anything last week. As always, life and sickness have been in my way and have completely hindered my writing. I am so so sorry. I'm hoping to smash out a few chapters this week in order to post on a more regular schedule in the future.**

 **In saying all that, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. As always, I love to see your reviews/favourites/follows come up in my emails :)**

 **Disclaimer: All Harry Potter affiliated words/settings/characters etc. are property of JKR and I make no money off of this story (or anything else, really).**

* * *

Chapter Five – An Unwelcome Meddler

Every day for two weeks, George and Hermione spent the first half of the day preparing the joke shop for its reopening. Every afternoon, they took a trip back to the day of the Battle of Hogwarts to relive Fred's death. Some days they cried, some days they were horror-struck to the spot, mostly they revelled in how close they were to their other half.

Today seemed no different. Hermione pulled on a comfortable pair of jeans and an old, stained t-shirt, waving her wand at her hair, magically forming into a messy bun amassed on her crown. She popped the kettle on as she headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and brewed herself a steaming cup of tea to begin the day. She decided to take a walk to the twin's' shop today, rather than flooing – it was a lovely day close to the end of the summer – picking up a few ham and cheese croissants for herself and George's breakfast. As she continued her walk further, reaching the wizarding world and ultimately Diagon Alley, she waved demurely at the few people who recognised her, calling out brief hellos to old school friends. Not many people were out in the streets, many families still keeping to themselves, rebuilding what little was left after the war. It was a little eerie to her, where throngs of witches and wizards used to bustle every day, only a sparse few remained, although she could've sworn she felt eyes on her wherever she turned, shaking it off and chocking it up to heightened senses from the war.

Hermione reached the shop and stepped through the wards, Unlocking the front door, she took a moment to appreciate the vibrancy of the shop with the summer sunlight streaming through the large front windows. Then, sealing the door shut behind her, she made her way up the staircase and into George's flat.

"Hermione!" she was greeted as she dusted off her shoes, however the voice was far too feminine for George. She looked around for a moment until she spotted the source. Angelina was standing in the kitchen, putting down her mug and rushing forward to greet the younger woman in a warm embrace, "I have missed you so much. I've been so worried about you, I felt so guilty not being here for you."

"Nonsense Angelina, it's really good to see you. I'm sorry I haven't come to see you sooner. How's your dad doing?" Hermione returned the hug and smiled at the woman in front of her, truly happy that she was here.

"He's on the up and up. Looks like he's actually getting better. I don't want to get my hopes up yet, but the mediwitch who visited last night said that all signs are pointing to a full recovery – a reaction to the new, experimental treatment that he was trying." Angelina was beaming, "Dad's glad that the potion can help other people in his situation. I'm just glad I have my dad back, really."

"Oh, that's wonderful news Angie!" Hermione pulled her into another hug, "I'm so happy for you and your family."

"Thanks, 'Mione." Her voice quietened, "George was telling me how much you've helped him with the shop and everything, I'm so thankful to you for being here for him while I was with my dad. I know you're both taking Fred's passing quite hard, but I'm glad you've had each other."

"It's okay, really. We both understand what the other is going through right now, more than we thought was possible." Hermione waved her hand over her engagement ring to make it visible again, "It's hard for me… for both of us. I don't think we're ready to let go yet, but maybe one day…" She trailed off, "At least he has you to keep him in the present."

Angelina took Hermione's left hand in her own two and they both looked down with the engagement ring sparkling up between the two of them, "It's okay for you to be sad. It's okay for you to be broken. He was everything to you, and you to him." Angelina looked back into Hermione's eyes which had started shining with tears, "But you have to promise me that one day, when the time is right, when you're ready, you will move on with your life. Fred would have wanted you to be happy – even without him." Hermione looked ready to protest, "Don't forget him or any of the memories that the two of you created together – I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that when you are ready, you need to let go."

Hermione nodded at the girl in front of her. It warmed her heart to have a friend as understanding as Angelina, "I promise. Thank you." She whispered, and the two girls embraced once more, Angelina patting soothing circles on Hermione's back.

George stood in the hallway, listening to his girlfriend's kind words. In that moment, he knew he needed to marry her, but now was not the time. He stepped into the living room and smiled at the girls, "Hermione! How long have you been here for?"

"Not too long. I was glad to find Angie here, though." Hermione brushed some escaped tears from her face quickly, then smiled at Angelina.

"I've been replaced already." George muttered, placing a hand on his heart in mock anguish.

"Lay off the theatrics, George. I bought breakfast on my way." Hermione held out the bag of croissants.

George came around to sweep her into a welcoming hug, "You can replace me whenever you want!"

"Are you staying for breakfast, Angie? I have enough for you too." Hermione asked as George released her.

"Unfortunately not, I just came to tell George the good news about my dad in person, and you were a welcome surprise. I have to run some errands today, then I'll be round to the Weasley's for dinner tonight. I assume I'll see you there?" She looked to Hermione for confirmation.

"Oh it's Sunday today, I completely forgot! Of course I'll see you there. It'll be great for you to be back. As soon as we finish up in the shop, we'll floo straight over." Hermione replied. Angelina hugged Hermione and kissed her boyfriend goodbye, then descended the stairs and the jingle of the shop's front door signalled her exit.

"I really am glad that the two of you get along so well." George said as he put the kettle on to make them some coffee.

"Any other girl would have been jealous that we've been spending so much time together, but she truly understands that we have a purely platonic relationship and she trusts us both." Hermione commented.

George brewed the coffee and set the table for their breakfast, "I'm going to marry her one day." He said quietly, as he bit into his croissant.

Hermione smiled at him, "I know."

* * *

By the time the pair made their way into the workshop, it was almost ten o'clock. They'd been bouncing ideas off of each other throughout breakfast, talking both of their plans for new products and the shop's reopening, along with the impending task of not letting Fred die. George drew back the curtains and walked over to the desk, unlocking the drawers to retrieve the journals that they had kept for the products and thumbing to the correct page. Hermione set to work taking stasis charms off of the various cauldrons against the back wall, making sure each cauldron's contents were still progressing correctly.

"I'm going to make a checklist of products we still need to restock." Hermione walked to an empty wall, where she conjured a whiteboard and marker. As she set about writing the list, she made a few more columns with batches that were in progress and stocked items. Each item that was fully stocked had been projected to last a month, using their records from before the war to cast their projections.

"Alright, I'll get started on some of the WonderWitch items, you can start on the pyrotechnics." Hermione stated, as she moved over to a fresh cauldron.

The pair worked in amicable silence, concentrating on their own various products, occasionally asking each other's opinions.

"Hermione," George began.

"One second!" She stirred her cauldron thrice anti-clockwise, once clockwise, then drew her wand in an intricate pattern over the bubbling liquid. A puff of smoke rose from the cauldron, pink in colour and shaped as a heart, before it dispersed in a shower of glitter, settling back in the potion.

"Looks like the Love Potions are ready." George waved his wand at the whiteboard to move the item into its correct column as Hermione set to work charming the labelled bottles to fill themselves with the perfect amount of potion.

"Alright, what were you going to say?" Hermione walked over to George.

"Are we going back today?" George looked up at Hermione, who was peering at a small, innocent-looking, floating spark.

"I don't see why we wouldn't, unless you would prefer not to." Hermione replied.

"I was only wondering because you told Angelina that we'd head to dinner after we were done in the shop." George said, pulling Hermione back from the spark.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted her to know, and with everything going on with her dad, I didn't want to overload her with our… issues, too." Hermione sighed.

"Yeah, I thought we could tell her after dinner tonight. Do what we used to do and come back to the flat for a nightcap. Now that I know everything's alright with her dad, I'd feel more at ease with her knowing about this." George wrung his hands together.

Hermione nodded resolutely and looked up at the clock, "I think it's time for us to grab some lunch." She stated, reached for his arm, and the two walked together back up to the flat.

* * *

After a lunch of sandwiches and juice, the pair apparated to their regular spot in Hogsmeade, before making their way up to the castle, chatting about the shop. When they reached the alcove where they usually departed, George stopped Hermione before she began twisting the dial.

"I think I'm ready today. I feel a bit more…" George waved his hands around, looking for the word.

"Desensitised is how I generally put it." Hermione offered, scratching her arm where a bug just landed.

"You always were very eloquent with your words, Miss Granger." George smiled, then regained his train of thought, "I do think that we should observe today, properly. I want to be able to discuss theories and possible outcomes with you. I know you've been doing this for much longer than I have, but maybe a fresh set of eyes will help."

"You don't need to explain yourself, I agree with you wholeheartedly." Hermione began to twist the dial on the time turner, "And if it doesn't work out like that, it'll still be fine. We have plenty of time."

The familiar rush of time travel greeted them and they were standing in the same place, over two months prior. Quickly, the pair made their way up to the abandoned, darkened classroom and Hermione pulled out a notepad and pen from her beaded bag.

"I think our ticket will be in timing and numbers. Our best bet is going to be taking out the death eaters, and two of us will be much better than just me. How would you feel about using a _confundus_ charm on Percy?" Hermione rattled off.

"I mean, I'd prefer not to, and if we dressed in the clothes we wore on the day, I don't think we'd have to. Showing ourselves won't be an issue, as long as we remain in character of our past selves. It wouldn't be uncommon to see the two of us together." George stated, clearly having thought about this.

"That sounds fair. Although I was running around helping Harry during the Battle, what if someone notices?" Hermione worried.

"That just means you're not going to bump into yourself. We know every single person witness to this event up here, and it's only Percy, Fred, and the death eaters – whom I assume we will be harming to no end." George countered. He placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look up at his gentle face, "Don't worry."

Hermione nodded in silence, but nervously tapped her pen against her thigh. Her brain was working in overdrive trying to discern different scenarios and options she didn't have prior, due to her being alone. It was becoming more real the more her and George returned, and she knew that she was so close to either success, or complete failure. George reached for her anxious hand, gripping her wrist and stilling the movement, then in one swift movement, he pulled her into his chest for a long hug. He kissed the top of her head and stroked soothing circles around her shoulder blades.

"I used to watch Fred do this to you when you got all worked up over something." George spoke into her hair, "You used to start tapping your fingers, or fidgeting with whatever you were holding at the time. It always happened around exams, or if you were mad at Harry and Ron – Ron more so, I dare say." He chuckled, his body shaking both of them. Hermione stayed quiet but smiled at the observation. George continued, "Fred was the only one who could calm you down – even when you were fighting with each other. If he pulled you close to him and rubbed your back like this, you'd be fine. Your breathing would return to normal, and you'd stop fidgeting. It was some magical way of decluttering your brain." George pulled her closer for a brief moment in a tight hug, before releasing her to arm's length and looking directly into her eyes, "Hermione, this is real. We're going to have to accept the outcome either way, but we're going to be fine, no matter what happens. You and I are going to get through this together, and all I need you to do is keep that brain of yours from exploding. It'll be the only thing that keeps us alive."

Hermione smiled, placing a hand over George's, resting on her shoulder, "Thank you, George. It means a lot that you're here for me, and I'm here for you too."

The pair turned to look into the hallway where Fred was about to appear, but froze in horror when they saw a silhouetted figure in the classroom with them, eyes gleaming with disgust.

Hermione whipped out her wand, but George stepped in front of her, blocking her path, one arm flung out protectively across her torso.

"Do your worst." He challenged.

The figure drew their wand, quickly casting a _lumos._

Hermione and George were dumbfounded.

"You!?"

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry** **(not sorry)** **for leaving you on a cliffhanger! Please forgive me :)**

 **Who do you think it is? Leave me your ideas/theories/where you think this story is going exactly, in your reviews. I'll be keen to know if you can pick it, and how/why.**

 **See you soon! xx**


	6. How

**A/N: Welcome back from the edge of the cliff, I hope you all are ready to find out who that person was. Just a heads up, this chapter is way longer than the previous few, 6000 words again. I honestly just didn't want to cut this chapter up. You'll see that the first half is mainly dialogue and the "flashback" is more of a retelling of major plot points (or just stuff I wanted you to know) up until the beginning of the story. Take it that their years happened the same as the books, but with what I've added, or changed. I didn't want to split this chapter up (although I really should have) because I didn't want you all to have to wait another week just to have an entire chapter of only back story. I also wanted to throw in a bit of conflict, so I hope it's okay. I can't foresee and end to this yet. I know where I want the fic to go, but there are also a bunch of little plot points that I've got floating around in my head, so I hope you all stick with me for a little while longer. If you have any ideas, let me know in your revieeeewwwwsssss!**

 **I want to shout out to everyone who reviewed and took a guess at who the mysterious figure was. As of now, no one has guessed correctly, and I'm really glad that I threw you all for a loop :) I love how creative you've all been, and the fact that you picked up on a couple minute nuances I threw in there really made me a special mention to Teekalin, I hope that all of your questions are answered in this incredibly long-winded answer. You read my mind as to what this chapter was going to be about, I laughed reading the review. Anything else, or anything I didn't cover, be sure to ask me some more :)**

 **Tl;dr: find out who mysterious person is now!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognisably Harry Potter things in this fic. All credit to the incredible JKR :)**

* * *

Chapter Six – How

His face was as red as his hair, anger visibly radiating off of him, his magic crackling in the air. A million questions sprung to Hermione's mind, only one of which was 'why is he so angry?', although she could deduce that for herself.

Ronald Weasley, standing before her with a murderous look in his eyes. She really wouldn't have picked it, but he had always been suspicious of her – especially after she started dating Fred and she needed to sneak around more.

"How are you here right now?" Hermione asked, remaining firmly behind George's protective arm. It wasn't that she couldn't fight for herself, but this side of Ron always scared her.

"What? No welcoming hug for your best friend? You looked pretty cosy with George just a minute ago." Ron said, malice evident in his voice.

"You haven't once contacted me since your recent outburst at the family dinner, why exactly would I go throwing myself into your arms?" Hermione asked incredulous.

"I thought I'd wait for you to send me an apology owl. You really were quite rude, turning my family against me. Mum hasn't talked to me since she found out you hadn't owled me." Ron sent his _lumos_ as an orb into a corner of the room and walked to a sturdy looking chair, taking a seat.

"I still don't understand how exactly you are here right now." Hermione pressed.

Ron was calm suddenly, "You've been awfully quiet, George. Is it because your twin, our brother, is being murdered in the hallway right outside?"

Hermione had to grip George's wand arm to make sure he didn't do anything he would regret. She knew Ron was only saying these things because he was mad.

"You make an excellent point, Ron. How about we all just head back into our own timeline and we'll discuss all of this then?" Hermione began to pull the time turner from inside her blouse.

"No, Hermione. Let's discuss everything now." Ron placed his hands on the desk in front of him, palms down in a commanding fashion, "How long have you been coming back to the past?"

"Around three months now. I took a month to recollect myself and George has accompanied me for the last two weeks." Hermione answered. It seemed easier for her to go along with his temporary insanity than risk being hurt or drawing attention to themselves in the past.

"Why? Do you enjoy watching our friends die?" Ron asked, curiosity edging its way into his voice.

"Of course I don't. Watching anyone die the first time is hard enough." Hermione replied smoothly. She wasn't sure if she wanted Ron to find out about her relationship with his brother, especially in the state he was in, and their current situation.

"You're bringing my brother along too. This is obviously about Fred. I don't need to be half as smart as you to know that it's about him. What I still don't understand is why." Ron twirled his wand between his fingers. It was unsettling and Hermione was afraid.

"At first it was to get some closure–" Hermione began.

"Closure? You barely knew Fred. I thought I made that clear last time." Ron barked out a laugh, seething.

"Mate, you obviously don't know your **best friend** as well as you think you do." George stated, emphasising "best friend" with air quotes.

"What do you mean? I know Hermione. Of course I do! I love her!" Ron became defensive, standing from his seat, hands placed back on the table.

"Ron, I didn't want you to find out this way, but Fred and I are together. We've been dating for about four years now, moved in together, and he proposed." Hermione waved her wand over her left hand, revealing the ring that she'd kept so well hidden. She reasoned that it would be better for him to know it all and be angry once, rather than at each separate step of their relationship.

Ron was silent for a second, fuming and stewing. Hermione wasn't sure what was going through his head, but before she could say anything, he began, "You say all of that like he's still alive and your relationship is current. But Hermione, he's dead." Gears were turning in Ron's head. It was almost painful to watch, "That means you're single now." Ron stated, a conclusion that Hermione had not thought he was coming to.

"I mean, technically I suppose you could say that, but we were in love. I still love Fred. Our relationship is living on in me, for now." Hermione wasn't sure what to say.

"For now? What does that mean?" Ron asked, looking between Hermione and George, "Are you planning on using the other twin now?" Anger flashed in his eyes again.

"Gross!" George said before Hermione got the chance to answer, "I mean, no offense Hermione, but you're practically my sister, by law, and there is no way I'd want to get with you. I have Angelina." He added to Ron.

A loud noise in the hallway signalled Fred's death. Hermione breathed out and gripped George's arm gently. He gave her a knowing look and sighed.

"We're trying to find a way to save Fred. It's why I've been coming back into the past, and why George has been coming with me." Hermione answered Ron evenly, "'For now' means until I can have him back."

"That's stupid and impossible. Hermione, you know what happens to wizards that meddle with time." Ron warned, reminding her of Professor McGonagall, "I won't allow it. You should hand over that time turner. You'll go spare!"

" **You** won't allow it?" Hermione was angry now, her magic frizzing her hair in its unkempt bun. It was George's turn to place a warning hand on Hermione's arm, "Ron, you don't own me, or did you not listen to your own mother?"

"But you're single now, and if Fred stays dead, then we can be together like it was meant to be." Ron reasoned.

"When are you going to get it into your head that I. AM. NOT. IN. LOVE. WITH. YOU!" Hermione all but yelled those last words.

"That's fine. I wasn't in love with you the first time I saw you either. I just thought you were a know-it-all with bushy hair and buck teeth. I learnt to love you, Hermione, and I know that you're good at learning, so I'm sure it will be easy for you to learn to love me." Ron explained.

Hermione felt sick. Her fiancée was dead in the hallway outside while his younger brother claimed her as his own in the next room. It was completely messed up.

Hermione found reasoning with Ron wasn't getting them anywhere, and decided to present him with the facts instead. She motioned for them all to sit down on the sturdiest looking chairs, hoping to calm the situation. George sat protectively close to Hermione. It was hard for him, knowing that his twin and his younger brother both loved this woman, but only one could have her. He wished there was something he could do for Ron, perhaps showing him that his love for Hermione wasn't really true. He'd seen how Fred and Hermione were and he knew that they loved each other for who they were, flaws and all.

She looked at the engagement ring on her finger and smiled wistfully, twisting it before raising her hand to show Ron more clearly, "Fred proposed to me just before we went on the run. It was almost two weeks before Bill and Fleur's wedding and he'd been planning it for months. He even asked my dad for my hand before I wiped their memories, he was really prepared. He knew we were going to go hunting for Horcruxes, so he decided that we needed to be engaged before I left." Ron stayed silent, so she continued with her story, "Fred woke me up with breakfast in bed, like he always did on our days off from the shop together. Then he presented me with a new outfit and told me to 'change before we go', which was cryptic enough for me. He called a taxi and we were driven to an amusement park, where we spent most of an hour going on rides. When it was almost time for lunch, we rode the ferris wheel, which was the largest structure for miles around, and when we reached the top, Fred pointed out to a field off to the left. Written in the grass in wildflowers was 'Hermione, will you marry me', and when I turned around, Fred had dropped to his knee with this ring. I accepted at once, of course, and he had prepared a picnic in that very field. Magic is really wonderful sometimes. We spent the rest of the day walking through London, and the evening with George and Angelina. I can honestly say it was the best day of my life." She dropped her hand.

Ron looked irritated, "That sounds nice, but I still can't accept that my brother did that to you. He shouldn't have put you in a position where you had to accept his proposal. That was my job."

George ground his teeth but remained silent, knowing that Hermione needed to get Ron to understand her perspective without George's input.

Hermione grew annoyed, "It was the logical next step in our relationship. When George and Fred left Hogwarts, during the summer holidays before our sixth year, the three of us and Angelina went house-hunting. Harry had given the twins more than enough money to buy the shop and the apartment over it, but Fred and I had both been saving up our own money. We decided that George and Angie should stay in the apartment over the shop as it was also easier for her to get to her parents' house from there, and Fred and I decided to buy a flat in muggle London for ourselves. We even got permits from the Ministry for floo connection and magic inside the house. I know how uncharacteristic of me it sounds. Normally I'm the logical one, and a sixteen-year-old shouldn't be moving in with her boyfriend and buying houses; but with Voldemort coming back, I knew that a war was coming, and I wanted to spend whatever time I had with Fred. I'd explained everything to my parents and they were supportive – they actually really loved Fred. Obviously it was the right decision, considering the circumstances we are in now, and my living arrangements currently are much more welcoming than my abandoned childhood home."

"No wonder you didn't come stay at the Burrow as much after that." Ron said as if it all just hit him at once, "Harry and I thought you were staying at your parents' place."

"Alright, now I've answered some of your questions, will you at least answer some of mine?" Hermione asked. The tension in the room had dispersed somewhat, and Ron seemed to slowly be coming to terms with the relationship, or so she hoped.

"Fine, but I want to know how you two got together in the first place." Ron huffed. It seemed her 'barrage him with the facts' tactic worked a little.

"How did you get here?" George asked, speaking up for the first time since Hermione explained her story.

"So I thought Hermione was acting a bit odd about the Fred thing. She even said she loved him back when we were fighting at mum's, so I thought I'd do a bit of digging." Ron explained, "I asked Harry first, but he didn't seem willing to tell me anything. I knew he knew something though, 'cause he told me 'if you want to know so badly, just ask her yourself'."

Hermione stifled her laughter and George smiled at Harry's reaction.

"So I did what any normal person would do." Ron continued, defensively, "George, you know that vial of Veritaserum that mum keeps in her sock drawer to threaten us with when she's super mad?"

"Ron, you didn't." George's face grew stern.

"I took the Veritaserum and poured a little in Harry's morning cup of pumpkin juice, then I asked him all the questions I had before, but this time he actually responded. He's going to be right mad when he finds me." Ron grimaced, "But it will all be worth it."

"Wait, but wouldn't Harry have told you that I came back here for Fred? Did you not already know my motives?" Hermione questioned.

"I didn't believe him, I had to see for myself. So I borrowed Harry's copy of Advanced Potion-Making, you know the one with Snape's notes. He retrieved it from the Room of Requirement before it was burnt, because he thought it might come in handy one day. Turns out Snape had a modification for the Shrinking Solution and Swelling Solution. The Shrinking Solution that he made has the ability to shrink the user but without them getting younger, which was really useful, and the Swelling Solution modifications were so that the user could drink it to get larger. I brewed them both," He pulled two empty vials from his pocket, "and I used them today. I borrowed Harry's invisibility cloak, and I followed you from your apartment to the store. Luckily the wards still recognise me, and you left the door open while you looked around the shop for some reason, so I slipped inside. After that, I just had to wait until you apparated, where I grabbed on to George and came with you. Once you were inside the castle, I took the Shrinking Solution and it made me about bug size. You nearly bloody killed me when you went and scratched your arm. Your fingernails were about this close to my head!" Ron indicated a small amount with his index finger and thumb, "Then while you were cosying up to my brother, I took the Swelling Solution and stayed hidden under the invisibility cloak, and you know the rest."

Hermione was conflicted. On the one hand, she wanted to castrate Ron for going to such ridiculous lengths to find out what she was doing, and being so jealous that he wouldn't see reason, especially because it was his brother. On the other hand, she wanted to praise him for such a brilliant and well thought out plan, along with some masterful potion brewing. Normally she was the brains of the trio and schemes tended not to come so naturally, especially for Ron. She settled on both.

"Ron, I understand that you were well-meaning with all of this, and your intentions were in the right place, if not a little misplaced; but you should have just asked me. What were you thinking!? You could have gotten yourself killed. You know that Snape's book has dangerous spells in it, what if the potions had harmed you?" Hermione chastised, "You owe Harry one hell of an apology, probably along with a year's supply of sweets. And to be honest, I'd like an apology myself." She paused for a moment, hoping for an apology that never came, "Although I do have to admit that I am a little impressed with how well you did, coming up with the plan on your own and brewing those potions by yourself. It sounds like something I would have thought of."

"Spending so much time together, you're bound to have rubbed off on me somehow." Ron smiled. "I am not going to apologise for looking out for your safety though, Hermione. You're being ridiculous with this and I don't understand why. Sure you were engaged, but you were a bit young for that anyway. You're only nineteen. Couldn't you just forget about him and move on?" 'with me,' his eyes added.

"There is literally no possible way for me to 'forget about him and move on'." Hermione sighed, "Let's head back into the future, and I can explain."

The three wrapped themselves in the chain of the time turner and in an instant were back in the present. Hermione apparated them back to her flat and began preparing a large pot of tea.

"This is our flat," Hermione gestured around the living room as she brought in the tray of tea, "make yourself comfortable, this is a long story."

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Hermione felt like she had spent almost every day of her fourth year, so far, looking out for the twins and their antics. She didn't know why it always ended up being her, but it was becoming an increasingly common event, and this particular Thursday was no exception._

 _"I told you that it wouldn't work." Hermione stood, hands on her hips with a smug expression on her face, leaning over Fred and George's aged bodies which were lying on the floor, ten metres away from the Goblet of Fire._

 _"Hermione, you may_ _ **know**_ _everything, but George and I, we_ _ **experience**_ _everything." Fred said from his position on the floor._

 _"We have seen a lot in our time. How old do you think we are, Fred? Ninety?" George asked drawing a hand to his face to feel his impressive, grey beard._

 _"Nah we've got to be about as old as Dumbledore, I reckon." Fred replied, mirroring his twin's actions._

 _Hermione shook her head and reached her hands down to help the pair up, "Need a hand? I've heard that you get all sorts of aches and pains in old age."_

 _The twins laughed, but accepted her outstretched hands, pulling themselves to their feet._

 _"Alright then, because you know of our aches and pains, maybe you could do us a favour and help us to the Hospital Wing? I think I broke my hip when we landed." Fred looked at Hermione hopefully._

 _Hermione took advantage of her superior position, conjuring walking frames for the pair of them, "This should help. I'll see you back in the common room later." And with that she took off._

 _"Clever, Miss Granger." Fred called after her. She turned back and winked before she disappeared from the hall altogether._

* * *

 _Hermione didn't know when it started, perhaps it was back in second year, when the twins had attempted to attack Malfoy after he called her a 'Mudblood', Fred had made sure she was alright every day for a month after that. Or maybe it was during a summer at the Burrow, when she first saw Fred shirtless as they dove into the lake behind the house. All Hermione was certain of, was that she had developed feelings for Fred Weasley, and she didn't know what to do about them. She reasoned with herself every night, explaining that he's older and he must only see her as an annoying friend of Ron's or another sister, but then there were moments where he'd help her with her book bag between classes, or kiss her cheek when Gryffindor won a quidditch match, that made her take pause._

 _"I'm being silly." Hermione said to herself, shaking her head. She was alone in the girl's dormitory, attempting to study away from the throngs of students that seemed to be swarming throughout the school._

 _"You, silly?" A voice said from the doorway, "And they call me a jokester."_

 _Fred was leaning in the doorframe, mirth written all over his face. It had been a few weeks since she'd picked the twins off of the floor as the elderly and he had returned to his youthful self. Hermione noticed all at once that she was alone with her crush in her bedroom._

 _"How'd you get up here?" She asked, "The stairs-"_

 _"I flew, of course." Fred pulled his Cleansweep broom from the corner where he'd stashed it, "George and I thought it would work, but we hadn't tested our theory 'til now."_

 _"Well I'm flattered that you've gone to all the effort, but I don't know what could be so important that you had to come all the way up here to find me." Hermione blushed, attempting to sound irritated._

 _"Do I need a reason to come and talk to you, Mia?" Fred asked, unsure of himself and how to proceed, "Why are you being silly?" He finally settled on._

 _Hermione's face turned bright red. 'That silly nickname of his is going to be the death of me,' she thought to herself. Fred was the only one who called her 'Mia' and, probably because she was absolutely infatuated with him, it made her act like a complete fool every time he said it._

 _"I'm trying to rationalise something that cannot possibly be rationalised." Hermione stated, cryptic enough but still not a lie._

 _"Maybe I could help you out?" Fred walked fully into the room, sitting down on her bed which was closest to the desk she was working at._

 _"I don't think you can. Really, it's not important." Fred arched one eyebrow and glanced down at the blank parchment in front of her._

 _"Hermione, if it's causing you to not do work, then it's definitely important." Fred took hold of her shoulders and spun her around to face him, "Tell me what's on your mind."_

 _'YOU!' she screamed inside her head._

 _"Really, it's nothing important. Ron and Harry are in a fight because Ron thinks Harry wanted the fame of being a Triwizard Champion." Hermione lied, although that, too, had been weighing on her mind a little._

 _"You're a terrible liar, Hermione." Fred teased, and then he became serious – more serious than Hermione had ever seen in him before, "Look, if you don't want to tell me, that's fine, but I'm always here for you if you need to talk."_

 _"Thank you, Fred. That means a lot to me." Hermione replied honestly, "Now tell me why you were up here in the first place."_

 _Fred hesitated for a moment, not knowing how Hermione would react to his proposition, "Do you trust me, Hermione?"_

 _"Of course, but don't you go doing something reckless to us both." Hermione warned._

 _Fred laughed then nervously asked, "Would you trust me with an experiment I'd like to test on you?"_

 _'Gryffindor courage,' she said to herself, "Okay, but nothing too permanent."_

 _"No promises!" Fred smiled, then he pulled his wand out and spoke a short incantation, waving the wand over the two of them._

 _"What did you just do?" Hermione asked, intrigued by the spell that she hadn't heard before._

 _"Give it a minute." Fred said quietly._

 _The two sat in silence for a moment, nothing seeming to happen._

 _Fred stood from the bed, "Can you stand up with me, Hermione?" he asked her, holding out his hand as she had done for him just days before._

 _As soon as Hermione took Fred's hand, a glowing, white light emitted from their joined fingers. Fred looked at it in wonder. After a second, he smiled at Hermione, pulling her into him in a warm hug and sweeping her up off her feet._

 _"Fred, I don't know what this means!" She exclaimed, noting that every place that their bodies touched, a white light was now emanating from them._

 _"It means, will you be my girlfriend, Mia?" Fred asked as he lowered her to the ground._

 _"What?!" Hermione's instant reaction made Fred's face falter for a moment so she continued, "I mean, I have this giant crush on you, and I didn't think that it would be possible for you to actually like me back, I thought it was so silly, so unfathomable. But here you are, standing in my bedroom, asking me to be your girlfriend, I just-"_

 _Hermione's sentence was cut off as Fred placed his hands on the sides of her face and kissed her deeply. Hermione was shocked at first, but soon gave in to her first kiss with the boy she had been infatuated with for years. When they broke apart, they were both completely flushed with identical goofy smiles._

 _"I look forward to stopping you mid-sentence more often, Miss Granger." Fred smiled, "And I take that as a yes."_

 _"I want to say yes, but I would also like to know a few things before I do." Hermione stated pragmatically._

 _"Of course." Fred's heart lurched, uncertain of her final response._

 _"When did you realise you liked me? I mean, you do like me, right?" Hermione asked._

 _"I first noticed you when you came over that very first summer. You were always reading books – your thirst for knowledge is admirable, and I am in awe of you. There were times that Harry and Ron were off doing their boy things, so me and George used to keep you company; we still do. I realised then, that you weren't just some bookish little girl, you were a complex person, and Harry and Ron never appreciated that. You were always just some fountain of knowledge for them, writing their essays and breaking up their fights – you still are. Then over the last year you just started developing more and more in character, and everything that you were, and are, is something that I really like. Your morals, your looks, your intelligence, everything about you is something that I find completely attractive, and altogether, you're perfect." Fred explained, "I suppose I can't tell you when exactly I realised, because it just sort of happened."_

 _Hermione was close to tears, never had she felt more appreciated and noticed in her life at Hogwarts, not even reaching the highest possible marks in every class, could she feel this kind of elation._

 _"Fred, that so sweet." Hermione was about to accept his proposal when, "Wait, what was that spell you cast?"_

 _Fred looked sheepishly at her and Hermione pursed her lips, "I found this old book in the library at Grimmauld Place when George and I were snooping around one day, looking for new spells. It had a bunch of ancient spells in it with diagrams and explanations. The one that I cast on us was an ancient spell to see if our magic was compatible. Basically to find out if we were soulmates, a little 'cause I was curious, and a little because I felt like I already knew."_

 _"What did the white light mean?" Hermione asked, feeling as though she already knew the answer._

 _"What do you think it meant?" Fred asked, tilting his head to the side cheekily._

 _"Yes. I would like to be your girlfriend." Hermione kissed him, knowing that they were made for each other, "But I'd like to see this book, please."_

 _Fred laughed, "I knew you'd say that." He produced the book for Hermione and she marvelled at the old text, "I've even marked the page for you." Fred flipped to the page with a small dog-eared corner._

 _Hermione set the book down on the desk and sat down beside Fred, "There's only one thing about this relationship that I'm worried about."_

 _"What's that?" Fred asked, turning his body to face her fully._

 _"I'm worried that if it gets out that we're dating, Ron will become furious. I mean, did you see how jealous he got when I told him that I thought Gilderoy Lockhart was charming? Or how upset he's been over the articles about me in the Daily Prophet?" Hermione asked, "Until we see where this is going, can we keep it between ourselves?"_

 _"Always the logical one." Fred pulled her into a one-armed hug, "Of course we can." He paused, "But I'm telling George."_

 _"And I'm telling Harry." Hermione replied._

 _They laughed together, and spent the rest of the afternoon chatting._

* * *

 _Three months later, Hermione had collected all of the information that she could find from the book that Fred had given her, and a few late-night trips into the Restricted Section of the library, and she was ready to confront Fred._

 _"Fred, I don't know whether to be furious with you, or happy about this." Hermione laid out scraps of parchment that she'd been taking notes on over the common room table._

 _"What did I do?" Fred asked, looking around the common room and noticing that it was empty._

 _"From what I have found in my research, the spell that you cast on us binds us together magically. Basically, the books that I found in the Restricted Section explain that once the 'soulmate' is found using this spell, it is impossible to break the connection that the two have. Their magic is superficially bound until they consummate the relationship, then bound again during a marriage ceremony, and they will yearn for their mate long after either dies. Accounts have shown that one soulmate will die and the other will go insane with longing after a prolonged period of time, eventually dying from heartache." Hermione looked pointedly at her boyfriend, "So, Fred Weasley, are you ready to be bound to me for life?"_

 _Fred looked up at the fiery witch standing in front of him, hands perched on her hips and doubt written all over her face. He smiled suddenly, grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down on top of him. As he perched her on his lap, he turned her face towards him, looking her directly in the eyes, before professing, "You're my best friend, you already know me better than even George knows me. I'm in love with you, Hermione Granger."_

 _Hermione looked stunned for a moment, before she launched herself at him, pulling him into a tight hug, exclaiming, "I love you too!"_

* * *

 _Throughout Hermione's fifth year, the two would secretly date using the Room of Requirement. There, they realised that the war was coming, and Hermione – being the martyr that she was – refused to let their relationship become public. It occurred to her that Fred may be used to get to Hermione, as she was so close to Harry, and she refused to let Fred become a casualty of war just for her sake. She was also unsure as to how the soulmate news would be taken by anyone else, so they had decided to keep that to themselves, opting to keep their entire relationship secret until the impending war was over._

 _Fifth year also came with new responsibilities for Hermione, and more often than not, she was scolding Fred and George with her new Prefect position (although she admitted she was slightly in awe of how advanced the twins' magic was, even if they only used it for mischief)._

 _Fred pointed out to Hermione that there would be at least two years that they'd be apart whilst Hermione finished her schooling, so during their dates, the pair would work on a set of mirrors like the ones that Sirius gave Harry, in order for them to communicate whilst they were apart. By the end of the year, they had been completed and neither would go anywhere without their corresponding mirror._

 _During the Christmas holidays, Hermione and Fred lost their virginities to each other, a night full of passion and love. The spell that Fred had cast bound their magic together more permanently, and both Fred and Hermione felt magically stronger after they had made love._

 _When Fred and George departed Hogwarts, effectively banishing Dolores Umbridge, Hermione and Fred had their first fight. Hermione urged Fred to continue with his schooling, attempting to get him to see reason. Fred reminded her that himself and George were destined for a different life to hers, and that where he supported her in her completion of her schooling, she needed to support him with his own business ventures. After some time, Hermione's rational brain saw Fred's side of things and she apologised with promises to support him in everything that he did, but also to keep him heading in a good direction. Hermione kept her promise by working in the shop alongside her boyfriend and his twin during the holidays, and corresponding with them both about various products and bookkeeping whilst she was at school the next year._

 _Sixth year for Hermione consisted of stolen moments through their mirrors, or using the Marauder's Map to sneak out of the castle and apparate to their flat (once she had her license). Fred would visit her in Hogsmeade if she could sneak out, but the shop was a constant presence in their life, and he was usually kept quite busy. Once a month, she would join Fred, George, and Angelina for dinner at one of their apartments, usually on a weekend, and during the school holidays it became a weekly routine._

 _During this year, she began to feel guilty for keeping the relationship she had with Fred a secret from Ron, and decided that she would tell him. Unfortunately, the moment that she chose had been the same moment that Lavender Brown had decided to attach herself like a parasite to Ron's lips and never let him go. Hermione wasn't particularly phased by their relationship, although she did find their public displays gag-worthy, as did everyone else in Gryffindor Tower. Ron, however, seemed to think that the relationship that he had with Lavender was causing Hermione to become jealous, and remained with the blonde to continue attempting to 'make Hermione see reason'. Hermione became furious with Ron when Harry had relayed his intentions to her, and questioned if she could ever tell Ron about her secret relationship with his brother._

 _On one non-descript day in sixth year, whilst Hermione and Ron were not speaking to each other:_

 _"He thinks that Lavender's a good shag, but I don't know if he really likes her. The poor girl; you can tell that she's absolutely smitten with him." Harry commented._

 _"That's because, from all of your accounts, Ron's practically smitten with… me?" Hermione said, repulsed by the thought, as she loved him like a brother, but also questioning where he got the idea of the two of them as a couple in the first place._

 _"Maybe you should just tell him about Fred. Maybe that will make him see that you're not interested." Harry offered._

 _"Or maybe his short temper will make him snap and he'll go completely bonkers at me. Harry, I would never hurt Ron, but if he laughs off my relationship with Fred, I don't know what I could do. To be honest, I'm scared of his temper. He can't always keep it in check, especially around me." Hermione sighed._

 _"I know, Mi. That's why I've always got your back here." Harry placed a comforting arm around her shoulders._

 _"Lavender thinks she's in love with Ron. She comes back to the girl's dormitory practically skipping every time. The way she gushes about him makes me queasy. I honestly feel sorry for the poor girl." Hermione lamented, "Maybe after they break up, and Ron's had some time to be alone, I'll tell him then. I wouldn't want to go looking for Horcruxes with the two of you and have this hanging between us."_

 _When the trio went on the run, Fred knew they were safe almost every step of the way. Hermione didn't reveal specific locations to him, just in case, but the mirrors that they had created had become useful. The lack of contact after living together, though, was the absolute worst._

 _Fred used to say that his nightmares were about losing Hermione. He never wanted her harmed, and he was constantly worried for her when she was away from him, in the centre of the war, with Harry Potter of all people. However, his nightmares changed as he witnessed the night that Bellatrix had carved 'Mudblood' into her arm. The deranged witch had found the mirror on Hermione's person, thinking nothing of it, but Fred had watched, helpless. Her screams haunted him every night. He had almost tried to break into Malfoy Manor, if not for George, the voice of reason at the time._

 _During the Battle, Ron had attempted to kiss Hermione in the Chamber of Secrets, and she quickly turned, striding away from him to keep her distance and not let him get any ideas – which obviously didn't work. The last time that she had seen Fred was in passing during the Battle, mere minutes after his younger brother had tried to kiss her. The two shared a brief embrace, a quick "I love you" and a chaste kiss, before heading back into the fray._

* * *

"And I guess you know the rest." Hermione concluded her story.

George looked at her, concerned, "You might die, Hermione."

She nodded sadly at him, "But what Fred and I have is worth it."

Ron's face showed every emotion as plain as day. Confusion, anger, hurt, jealousy, betrayal. He was processing her accounts of the years that they had spent together, trying to fit it altogether with the warped reality that he had been living in where he deluded himself that Hermione had been in love with **him**.

"You're soulmates with my brother." Ron said finally. It wasn't a question, just a statement of the fact. It was obvious that he was struggling with his conflicting feelings about Hermione and Fred. He loved and hated them both simultaneously and he wasn't sure what to do about it all. He finally settled on his resolution. He loved Fred unconditionally, but this may be the one thing he couldn't forgive him for – taking his witch. Hermione on the other hand, maybe she'd see that he could be a wonderful replacement for Fred; they both came from the same family, both were her best friend, and Ron believed he had far greater qualities than Fred ever possessed.

'Yes,' Ron thought, 'I will find this spell and I will show her. Hermione is **my** soulmate, and she **will** be mine.'

* * *

 **A/N: Oh Ronald, you're going to get yourself killed. Unless Hermione starts dying first... Let's hope she can get Fred back in time whilst fighting off his possessive brother.**

 **As always, leave me a review.**

 **Love to you all xx**


	7. A Dinner with No Secrets

**A/N: Hello hello hello and welcome to a new episode of "I'm sorry I am posting so late". Really though, this fifty year long break was totally uncalled for and I do have to apologise for not posting some kind of update. There are only a couple more chapters after this to go and maybe an epilogue, then I will be out of your hair forever (or until next time). In saying that, this chapter took a long time to write, though I do have to apologise for how rushed it feels, although I can also guarantee that this will literally be the last chapter focusing on the same day (I don't know how I've managed to write three chapters based on the same day but I mean...).**

 **Thank you to all of the reviewers. I have enjoyed reading all of your comments and thoughts. I especially love reading the reviews from the lovely people who literally read it and review on every chapter as soon as it comes out. It warms my heart. I have also picked up a bunch of story followers over the last week for no reason and I'm hoping that this will satisfy** ** _until next time(TM)._** **Keep on keeping on!**

 **Disclaimer: JKR owns everything that you recognise. I make no money from this (because if I did, I would post more regularly... ;P)**

* * *

Chapter Seven – A Dinner with No Secrets

After Ron had left her apartment, Hermione sunk back into the couch next to George. He put a comforting arm around her shoulder and flicked the TV on to distract her from the mess of events of the day. They had come mid-way into the movie _Hercules_ and Hermione's eyes lit up in her exhausted body. Disney movies were a life-long favourite for her, bringing a myriad of nostalgia, fond memories of being curled up on the couch with her parents and a bowl of popcorn. Her favourite movie when she was a child was _Fantasia_ , which made sense now, considering her magical aptitude. Hermione had been on the run during the cinema release of _Hercules_ and Fred had promised to watch it with her as soon as the war was over.

Suddenly, all of the day's events just seemed to overwhelm Hermione. She turned into George's arms and began to cry. Her tears soaked his shirt as he held her tightly, rubbing soothing circles on her back and whispering quiet encouragement to her as she wept. Once all her tears had been shed, she remained in George's arms until the movie had finished, then she straightened herself and flicked her wand at the TV, turning it off.

The silence hung in the air for a moment, thick, cold.

"What happened today?" Hermione whispered, her eyes searching George's for answers.

George struggled to find the answers she wanted to hear, patiently waiting for her to find whatever she needed in order to begin processing the day.

As Hermione's expression began to soften, George cautiously rose and began preparing a new pot of tea for them, calling back to Hermione, "Go have a shower and we'll talk after that."

Hermione followed instructions and took off to the shower. The bathroom quickly turned into a pseudo-sauna with the heat of the shower water and Hermione moaned in pleasure as the hot water cascaded over her aching muscles. It had been tiring and tense the entire day, and she was grateful for the relaxing powers of a hot shower. After relaxing in the water, she began to scrub herself using a loofah and delicious, strawberry scented body wash, washing away the events of the day. Once she was clean, she dried herself with her towel and used charms on her hair to prevent frizzing, summoning a clean set of clothes from her untouched bedroom.

Hermione emerged from the bathroom about twenty minutes later looking refreshed but worn, dressed in a maroon blouse and pleated black skirt that fell just above her knees. She traipsed into the kitchen, still muttering charms for her hair as it twirled its way into a high ponytail, securing itself with multiple hair elastics and pins. George handed her a fresh cup of tea and they sat at her dining table where he had scrounged up some chocolate coated digestive biscuits.

"You look dressed up, I wasn't sure if you wanted to go to mum's after all that's happened today. I'm sure she would understand." George clasped Hermione's hand across the table and smiled gently.

"No, I'm going to go. Molly has been nothing but protective of me, and I know that I am well supported there. It won't just be Ron and all the awkwardness I'm sure will come with that." Hermione decided resolutely.

"Alright, I've got your back. Are we still telling Angelina after dinner?" George asked.

"Of course." Hermione smiled, relaxing as she sipped her tea, "Would you like to shower here? I'm sure we have some of your clothes lying around in the spare room."

"That'd be great, Mi." George stood and walked into the spare room, retrieving a pair of clean dark wash jeans and a black t-shirt with buttons at the V-neck collar, "Don't miss me too much." He winked as he slipped into the bathroom.

Hermione set about cleaning her tea service from Ron's visit and washing some dishes that she had left from the previous night. She began to hum _Can You Feel the Love Tonight_ by Elton John; a song that both her and Fred had loved to sing when they were doing mundane household chores together once they had seen _The Lion King_.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Hermione was arms deep in dirty dishwater, only halfway finished cleaning the dishes from the previous night's festivities. She and Fred had decided that they were finally in need of a housewarming party, despite having lived there for three months already, and had invited Harry, George, Angelina, and Hermione's parents over for dinner. It was a motley group, but they all enjoyed themselves, with Fred and George getting new ideas for a bunch of 'adult only' alcohol based products, Hermione's parents enjoyed the youthful dinner party, and Harry and Angelina talked quidditch team strategy every chance they could._

 _Now the aftereffects of a celebratory night in were shown in the mess of the tiny flat._

 _"Who knew this place could get so messy!" Fred called from the living room, where wrapping paper was strewn all over the place from presents they had received the previous night._

 _"I expected more, to be honest," Hermione's swotty voice drifted playfully through the house, "what with you and George in the same room together. I've seen your workshop." She laughed._

 _Fred scowled at her through a wall, but smiled despite himself, "You make a good point, love."_

 _Once Fred had satisfactorily cleaned the living room, he moved to the dining table, pointing his wand at a CD player and smiling as the opening notes of_ _ **their song**_ _sang throughout the flat._

 _"There's a calm surrender to the rush of day…" Fred sang along, waving his wand at the chairs to right themselves._

 _Hermione's tinkling laugh echoed against the splashback through the kitchen. She loved it when Fred sang. Neither of them were amazing, but they both felt completely comfortable around each other to be able to sing freely, knowing there was no judgement on the receiving end._

 _"I need a damp cloth." Fred called to Hermione through the wall._

 _Before he could blink, a cloth that was completely soaked soared through the air and landed with a squelch on the back of his head. Lukewarm water flowed down his neck and back, soaking a line down his t-shirt._

 _"Hermione Granger!" Fred roared without malice._

 _Hermione's slender form appeared at the doorway and she began to laugh hard, doubling over and sinking to the floor._

 _"Oh," she managed between laughing fits and breathing, "I thought… you would catch it…" more breaths, "so… funny…" she continued her laughter._

 _Fred's eyes lit up just watching her and any irritation he possibly had before flew out the window with his girlfriend's laughter, "We will not speak of this to George."_

 _Hermione placed a hand on her heart, suddenly looking very solemn, "Cross my heart."_

 _She turned around and went back to her dishes with Fred's laughter following her._

 _The song continued, and as the chorus came up, Fred was suddenly behind her, his arms wrapping around hers and his hands plunged into the water to thread their fingers together._

 _"Can you feel the love tonight!" They both chorused, throwing their heads back and singing it to the ceiling as they always did. Hermione burst into a fit of giggles as Fred chuckled, pulling her further into his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head as they continued to sing together, swaying to the music._

 _As the song made its way to the climax, Fred suddenly wrenched Hermione from his arms, flinging her wide across the kitchen with one arm and twirling her as she let out a breathless squeal._

 _"Fred!" she admonished, although there was mirth in her voice._

 _He spun her into him and out again twice more, making her feel a little dizzy. Unsteady on her feet, Hermione braced herself against Fred's firm body, feeling his muscular shoulders beneath her fingertips as her palms slid down to rest on his chest. Fred tilted her chin up and they both smiled as their eyes met. Their lips parted and they shared a magical kiss, melting into each other. His hand snaked around to her back, supporting her and pressing her further into him, his other hand moving to her hair, cupping her neck as his fingers tangled in her tresses. Hermione pulled her short frame up on her tiptoes, sliding her arms around Fred's neck to support herself and edge impossibly closer to her soulmate. They remained locked in this embrace, kissing like their lives depended on it, neither deepening it to go further, both fully content with this particular kiss, trying to convey just how much they loved each other within it._

 _As they broke away, they were both slightly dazed and light-headed from their kiss._

 _"I love you, Fred." Hermione breathed, lowering herself and wrapping her arms around his waist to embrace him._

 _"I love you too, Mia." Fred whispered into her hair as he placed a final kiss on her crown, his arms relaxing around her shoulders._

* * *

"Hermione?" George asked for what felt like the twentieth time, "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Hermione blinked for a moment, "Y-yes. I'm fine, just lost in thought, I guess."

She looked down at her hands, which had been steeping in the dishwater long enough for them to wrinkle. None of the dishes had been washed and the water had gone cold.

"Are you ready to go, then?" Hermione asked as she wiped her hands on a nearby tea-towel and smoothed down her already crease-free blouse.

"I am. Do you need a minute?" George asked, cocking his head to one side. This made Hermione smile, as she had noticed that both twins would do this, but lean their heads to a different side. George favoured his right, as Fred had favoured his left.

"No, George. I'll be fine." Hermione reassured him with a wider smile. He offered his arm to her and she took it as they both stepped through the fireplace.

As always, the Weasley household felt like semi-organised chaos. As the pair stepped into the warm living room, shouting and hugs greeted them, making them feel much more at ease, despite the ruckus. Harry pulled Hermione aside as soon as they arrived to apologise about telling Ron everything, as Hermione assured him that it wasn't his fault.

"I will have his bollocks as soon as he walks through that door." Harry fumed. His hand clenched tightly around his wand and small red sparks fizzled into scorch marks on the rug below.

"Harry, as much as I completely understand that and support all decisions you have, we shouldn't cause a scene in the house. We need to keep you in Molly and Arthur's good books if you want any chance at marrying their daughter." Hermione placed her gentle hands on Harry's wrists and looked at him resolutely, "We can hex his genitals off together. Tomorrow."

Harry grinned at her and pulled her into a bone crushing hug, "I've really missed you, Hermione. What with the shop reopening and my renovations, along with some other extracurricular activities," Harry paused to look knowingly at her, "we haven't had any time to see each other. Why don't we start having a weekly catch up?"

Hermione sensed something was off. Harry never asked to see her, always just dropping in. Although since Fred's death, he had been more cautious around her, "Of course, Harry. To be honest, I've missed you too. George is fantastic company, but you and I have grown up together. I miss the bond that we have."

"Yeah, not seeing you 24/7 has put me in a bit of a tailspin." Harry admitted quietly, "Without you, Ron's making me go mental. I feel like we had this normalcy and understanding. I don't really know what it is, but being away from you for so long… it's just been really hard on me."

"Oh Harry." Hermione sighed and hugged him, "You're one of my best friends and we spent months together in that tent with just the company of each other. I understand exactly how you feel. To be honest, my house is really lonely at night time when I'm by myself. Keeping occupied in the day is easy, but the nights are always so quiet. Since coming to the wizarding world, I haven't felt like an only child. You've been my brother, and it's always been you with me, and Ron, or Ginny when I stayed here. Otherwise, I had Fred and I don't really have that now either."

The two just looked at each other and smiled in understanding, "You're welcome at Grimmauld Place once it's all fixed up, any time you need, Hermione."

"Same to you with my apartment, Harry. I do have a spare bedroom you can use." Hermione placed an arm around him as they were called to dinner.

* * *

The seating plan hadn't changed since the last time that the group had congregated for dinner, however Angelina had joined them next to George, and currently, the youngest male Weasley was missing.

"Anyone seen Ron today?" Molly asked as she levitated dishes of mashed potato, cauliflower cheese, beans, steak, and fish towards the table.

"We saw him earlier, mum." George began.

"He came by the shop to check in on how we were going. I think he said he was going to go out for a walk or something, but that was probably mid-afternoon." Hermione finished.

Molly frowned. It was uncharacteristic of her youngest son to not attend dinner. Not only did he live in this house; dinner was his most looked forward to meal of the day. However, all suspicions were quelled as the boy in question stumbled through the kitchen door.

"Sorry 'mmm late." Ron slurred. His eyes were glassy and almost bloodshot. He had obviously been drinking throughout the afternoon.

"Ronald Weasley!" Molly began, but Arthur placed a hand on his wife's arm, stopping her tirade.

"Ron, go have a shower and take some pepper up potion. We'll keep you a plate." Arthur intoned.

"But I'm huuuuungry now!" Ron hiccupped, then promptly fell to the floor.

The entire family had the same expression fixed to their faces: disgust tainted with worry and understanding. Since the war, everyone had been there at one point or another. Bill and Charlie both stood from their places and lugged Ron upstairs with promises to get him clean and sober before they came back down.

After a moment of unusual awkward silence, Molly spoke, "Well, we might as well eat while the food's still hot."

The whole family launched themselves at the hot plates of food, piling their own plates full of the delicious feast. Hermione waited for George to take some cauliflower, chatting idly to Angelina and Ginny about a shopping trip they needed to plan. As she reached for her own serving of cauliflower, a glint flashed across the table and she instinctively froze in place. Silence shrouded the room again and Hermione turned to see Molly's eyes fixed on her finger, an unreadable expression on her face.

"I…" Hermione began, pulling her hand back into her lap, "I can explain this." She mentally cursed herself for not replacing the glamour.

"Why didn't you tell me you were engaged, dear?" Molly asked quietly. There was hurt evident in her voice.

Instantly, Hermione felt guilty for keeping her engagement a secret from her adopted magical mother, "It's complicated, you see…" Hermione trailed off. She had never felt so utterly lost for words as she had in this moment. She turned to George for help, hoping that he would be able to help her explain this to his mother. George only looked concerned and baffled, which was no use to her at all.

Hermione sighed and tried again, "We've been seeing each other for about four years. He proposed to me about two weeks before Bill and Fleur's wedding. It didn't really seem like the right time to announce that I was engaged, and then the war happened and all of this…" She waved her hands around in a nonsensical gesture, "I've just been used to hiding it, I guess."

They were all quiet for a time, no one moving or saying anything, then Ginny asked a question that was on everyone's minds, "Did… Did he survive?"

Hermione closed her eyes, willing the tears to stay. George took her hand and with the smallest voice, replied with a simple, "No."

No one knew what to say then, and just as Molly began to ask another question, the three brothers returned from upstairs, Ron looking significantly better than he had when he stumbled into the house.

"What's going on?" Bill hesitated at the bottom of the stairs as Ron obliviously piled a share of food onto his plate.

"Hermione's engaged." Percy explained as she pulled her hands from her lap again, flashing her ring finger. Ron paused, looking directly at Hermione with eyes that flashed betrayal.

"Who?" Charlie asked brashly, ignoring the warning glares he was receiving from the rest of his family.

Hermione took an audible gulp, nervously looking from George to Angelina, then to Harry, who nodded at her encouragingly, "It was Fred." She whispered, almost inaudibly.

Hermione sat in her seat, looking at her hands which were folded in her lap and fiddling nervously with the ring on her finger. The next thing she knew, Molly had risen and loped over to her, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. Tears were streaming down Molly's face, and Hermione couldn't keep hers at bay any longer. The two women were locked in a mournful embrace until Hermione could no longer breathe.

"I always thought of you as my daughter, Hermione. You have always been a part of this family." Molly took Hermione's hand in hers, holding the ring up between their faces, "But this makes it real. I'm so sorry that we didn't support you after the war. We didn't know… If I had realised how much a part of Fred's life you were, we would have been there for you." Molly pulled her in for another hug.

Hermione's eyes stung with more tears at Molly's heartful acceptance of their relationship, "I'll tell you all about it over some hot chocolate, after dinner?"

"Whenever you feel ready, dear." Molly responded, returning to her seat. She pulled out her wand and waved it over the table, casting a warming charm over the food, "Now, everybody dig in, please."

A moment passed before everyone started to eat, a sense of normalcy settling back over the group.

"George," Hermione whispered, leaning close, "I don't know how much I'm going to tell them."

"Tell them as much as you're comfortable with. I have your back one hundred percent." George took Hermione's hand and gave it a quick squeeze before returning to his dinner.

Hermione looked up as she ate, catching Percy's eye and smiling. He smiled and gave her a nod, one of reassurance and solidarity. Penny, next to him, mouthed a small 'thank you' with a knowing glance at her own disillusioned ring. Hermione didn't realise how warm and accepting this family was going to be towards her and this secret; it made her feel stronger, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders – or at least part of it.

Throughout this ordeal, Ron stewed silently, not wanting to risk an argument with Hermione in front of his own family, 'They've obviously chosen her side,' he thought, seething as he stabbed at his steak. A plan was forming in his mind, and no one would see it coming.

* * *

After dinner, the entire family piled into the living room, squeezing onto couches and sitting cross-legged on the floor. Molly levitated trays of hot chocolate and warm cookies for everyone as everyone settled in, eyes naturally training on Hermione. George and Molly both sat beside her, with the matriarch placing a comforting arm around her and George gently taking her hand. Hermione took a long draw from her warm beverage and launched into the entire tale.

"So after he... passed," Hermione hesitated at this point, unsure of how much she was willing to reveal. She looked to George for reassurance and he squeezed her hand, "I was absolutely devastated. Harry came to me, knowing what I'd do to myself. I'd been feeling so guilty, taking so much time to mourn Fred, and not even searching for my own parents – I still am. George came over to start with too, but his visits only made losing him harder, and I felt like I was hindering his own grieving."

"That's not true, Mi. I needed you like you needed me then, it felt like our other half had been ripped from us." George dropped a kiss on the top of her head and Hermione nervously smiled.

"There's more, but I need everyone to understand what is happening to me and not to judge me." She sighed.

Hermione pulled her wand out from her holster in her sleeve and aimed it over her engagement ring. She uttered a quiet incantation and translucent white strands of light began to wind their way around her finger, coursing their way up her left arm and ending at an invisible point on her chest above her heart. George stifled a gasp and Hermione whispered an apology to him as the room erupted in questions.

"I explained that Fred and I were bonded." Hermione surveyed the room as they quietened, "The thing about that is, I can't live without him."

She pulled her wand out again and began waving it over the strands of light in a different configuration.

"These strings of light used to stretch between Fred and myself. They stemmed from our hearts and wound down our arms, extending out from our ring fingers and connecting to each other – no matter the distance between us." Hermione paused for a moment, "The day that Fred died, the string of light that joined us was severed. This generally happens when bonds are broken and is perfectly normal and not harmful. However, due to the nature of the spell that Fred had cast upon us to begin with, along with the fact that we are soulmates, the thread that connected us frayed and I will not be able to bond again."

Hermione finally tapped her wand to her engagement ring and watched the mortified faces around the room. The strings of white light began to tinge black, the darkness winding its way to about halfway up her forearm.

"From my research, I will get more paranoid and insane as the darkness spreads and when it reaches my heart, it will break and I will die." Hermione settled her hands in her lap and took a resolute breath. The entire room was deathly silent.

A chair scraped and Hermione looked up to see Ron standing from his position. He looked at her with disgust and began speaking, "I don't-"

"Now is not the right time, Ron." Arthur intoned, having been told about his outburst at the previous family dinner.

Ron glared around the room, noting varying degrees of irritation etched upon most of his family's faces. Hermione only showed hurt and anguish, silently willing Ron to drop it before his anger got the best of him. He took one last glance at his mother and whatever he saw there made his mind up. Ron resolutely stormed out of the room, his stomping footsteps carrying throughout the house until he reached his bedroom, slamming the door.

"I'm sorry." Hermione whispered, "Maybe Ron is right, maybe I am tearing your family apart."

"Don't be daft." Molly pulled her into a crushing hug, "This is your family too, and you're doing no such thing. Ron is the only one having issues here and his anger is getting the better of him. Let him cool down and we'll tackle this together."

Hermione decided at that moment to tell everyone what she was doing with the time turner. Once she had extricated herself from Molly's embrace and hidden her bond again, she began, "There's just one more thing and you're not going to like it."

She began to tell of her experimentation with the time turner, with some input from Harry and George. Sparing no detail, she also explained all her research into time travel and her own experiences, including what had happened earlier in the day with Ron (at which Molly turned bright red and apologised angrily for her son, especially to Harry).

"It's up to you how much you want to be involved from here on out, but no matter what you say, I am going to continue this sordid quest because if I don't succeed, well…" Hermione trailed off. They all knew that she would die if she failed.

"It seems like you're being extremely cautious and have researched extensively into the field." Percy commented. Hermione merely nodded. "Logically, I don't see the harm in you trying. If you succeed, we all get Fred back. If you fail, we lose another family member."

Hermione let a breath out that she hadn't realised that she was holding.

"Although don't let me hear you mention illegal time travel again. As the senior undersecretary to the Minister himself, I think I'm meant to turn you into the authorities." Percy winked at her and the tension seemed to ease out of the room.

"I'm sorry I kept this from all of you." Hermione gazed at every face in the room. Angie and Ginny showed small amounts of hurt but overall understanding, Bill and Charlie had wise, yet hardened eyes, whilst Fleur and Penny looked worried for her. She chanced a glance at Arthur and Molly, watching their faces betray their pain. "I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up or cause any more torment, and I was worried you would all try to stop me."

"I have to admit that under normal circumstances I would be asking Molly to berate you for this kind of foolish behaviour, definitely unbefitting **the** Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her age." Arthur began, "However, I would do anything in my power to get my Mollywobbles back, not even taking into account the kind of repercussions that you will suffer if this doesn't go to plan." He gave her a nod to signify his acceptance of her cause.

"I can't exactly give you my blessing, dear, but I'm certainly not going to stop you either. I honestly hope you can bring back our Freddie, but I won't get my hopes up, for your sake." Molly stated with a sad smile.

Hermione had never felt more loved and accepted in her entire life. It didn't matter that Ron was being stubborn, because she couldn't control that he saw the situation differently, nor could she control how he felt about her. She could only accept that Ron would either come around, or he would be cut out of her life. For the first time since Fred had passed, she felt the hope that she had denied herself for so long.

Hermione Granger was going to get her fiancée back and she had the love support of everyone who mattered to her. They were on her side.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope this satisfies. As always, leave a review and let me know what you think :) I really have tried to make it as interesting as we can get with twists that make it (hopefully) a little less predictable.**

 **See you in the next chapter... soon(tm) xxx**


	8. Confrontations and Plans

**A/N: Thought I'd post this earlier because I need to make up for being a horrible human being and keeping you all waiting for months for the last chapter. We're going to be skipping a little bit in time, just because I don't want another three chapters of a single day. I hope it's all alright and you enjoy this chapter.**

 **As always, thank you to all who review, with a special shout out to Angels-heart1, who has literally reviewed almost as soon as I post the chapter on almost all of them too :) I really appreciate it.**

 **Disclaimer: Everything recognisable is property of JKR and I make no money from this.**

* * *

Chapter Eight – Confrontations and Plans

Ron spent the next two weeks holed up inside his room. It seemed that all anyone could talk about in this family was Hermione and her engagement to Fred, or Hermione and Fred's apartment, or Hermione trying to save Fred. It sickened him to hear their names together and to hear his family trying to help her with ideas on how to save Fred.

Originally, Ron had planned on crashing at Grimmauld Place for a while with Harry, maybe helping him with the renovations, but mainly just to get out of The Burrow. As soon as he set foot in the house, not only was there the usual screaming portrait, it also came with a screaming Harry, along with some nasty hexes. Ron limped his way out of the house minutes later with a couple of bruises and boils, Harry claiming, "No best friend of mine would do something like that, and until you get your act together regarding Hermione, we can't be friends."

Hurt and feeling as though Hermione had taken everyone from him, Ron decided that it was time to go directly to the source of the problem. On one of her days off, he flooed to her apartment unannounced and found her curled up on her couch with a book. With a little annoyance, Hermione begrudgingly offered him a seat and some tea, and Ron began explaining what Harry had said to him, "I just don't understand. Yeah what I did wasn't right, but I thought he'd forgive me."

"Ron," Hermione began, a sigh of exasperation escaping her lips as she continued, "I don't know how long Harry will take to forgive you, but you're lucky to have left Grimmauld Place with all of your reproduction glands still intact."

"But it was all for your safety! Surely Harry could see that!" Ron crossed his arms in a huff.

"Put yourself in his shoes, Ron. How do you think he feels with you going behind his back to ensure my safety when he was already trying?" Hermione picked up her teacup and sipped as he thought about her words, "It would make him feel inadequate, as if you think he's not doing a good enough job." She continued, "Along with that, you literally drugged your best friend to find out answers about your other best friend. How morally correct do you really think that is?"

"You wouldn't tell me anything." Ron tried to reason.

"You never asked!" Hermione all but yelled, flinging her book down on the couch beside her, long forgotten, "If you had come to me and had a mature and reasonable conversation with me, I would have told you everything you wanted to know." Her hands flew into the air as she stood up and stalked towards him, "But instead you went behind my back, behind Harry's back, and moreover behind your own mother's back to extricate information that would have been willingly given to you, had you just **asked**!"

"I'm not going to apologise to you for looking out for you, Hermione." Ron's face grew red with his anger. 'Why couldn't she see what he was doing was all for her?' he thought.

"Stop deluding yourself. You never think of anything but your own self gain. How is this time any different?" She took a step back and stood taller, "You did this to find out if you could wind your way into my life as a romantic partner. Ron, I need you to understand that it is never going to happen. If you would like to disregard the fact that I'm not in love with you, but with your brother instead, I can name several reasons that we wouldn't work as a couple."

"And I can name several reasons that we would!" Ron stood up himself, his larger stature making him seem to tower over Hermione.

Hermione could see that this was getting nowhere fast and if she wasn't careful, Ron's bad temper could manifest itself into something she wouldn't like to see. She shrunk back and settled herself on the couch again, exhaling a sigh and with it all of the negative feelings she had for Ron in this moment.

"Ron, tell me what would change between us if we became a couple." Hermione asked thoughtfully.

Ron seemed taken aback by this question, fully ready to continue the argument that they were just having. His face softened and he sat back down to face her. "Well, obviously you would move into mum's, or I suppose now that I know that you have an apartment, we could live here. Then mum could teach you how to cook and clean with the spells she uses – she's really good with the housekeeping spells. After that I expect I'd get a job in the Auror department we'd get married and have a lot of children, growing up in a big family made me always want a lot of kids."

"Would I be able to have a job?" Hermione asked, a little put out by the prospects of her future with Ron, let alone the idea of having sex with him.

"I mean, if you wanted to start with, but I would make the money and you'd be at home with our kids." Ron stated, as if it were obvious.

"Okay now tell me this. How would you handle us getting into an argument?" Hermione asked.

"We wouldn't argue. Once you're mine, I'm absolutely sure that you'll forget all the nonsense that we argue over and you won't need to bring it up so much. Besides, what could you have to complain about, you'd be able to do whatever you want at home all day every day, and spend time with our kids." Ron looked at her like she was mad, as if arguments didn't happen.

"Okay," Hermione said slowly, "How did you feel when Viktor asked me to the Yule Ball?"

"Horrible!" Ron replied, "You were mine and I was meant to take you. Then you got all annoyed at me because I asked you as a last resort."

"And we argued then, right? I didn't talk to you for a while. You had ruined my night." Hermione continued, "Do you remember when you started dating Lavender Brown?"

Ron frowned, unsure where this was going, "Of course I do. You were so jealous that you didn't speak to me for months."

"I wasn't jealous, Ron. I was dating Fred by then and we were very much in love. I wasn't speaking to you because I didn't like how self-absorbed you had become. You changed with her, thinking with your dick and not caring about myself or Harry. You only came back to me because your grades were slipping, which was another reason why I just continued to ignore you. But continuing with this trend, we argued then too." Hermione took a deep breath before steeling herself and looking directly into his eyes, "Ron, I know we were younger and your emotions hadn't fully developed yet, but while you think that we aren't going to argue, I have to fully disagree with you. Our past track record as **friends** has proven that we can't work together all the time." Ron looked as if he were going to object, so Hermione continued, "If these two examples don't convince you, I need to bring your attention to the moment that you left us when we were hunting horcruxes."

Ron flinched, "Yeah, but I came back."

"It's not about whether you came back or not, Ron. The point is that you left in the first place. How can I trust that when we get into another inevitable argument, that you're not going to leave me again, just like you left us in that forest?" Hermione had driven that last nail into the coffin.

Ron was speechless, so she continued, "There are wonderful things about our friendship, Ron, but we couldn't work as a couple. Let me take you through what I have experienced with you. Our friendship started by you bullying me so much that you had to rescue me from a troll as I cried in a bathroom stall. Year after year you question me, whether I'm sure about this or that, and not to sound too egotistical but I **am** the brightest witch of my age. We get into stupid arguments over everything, and the only way we can deal with them is to go months without speaking or seeing each other. You dated Lavender Brown even when you thought you were in love with me for selfish reasons, knowing that she was completely in love with you. To top it all off, you're being completely stubborn and an absolute arse about my relationship with Fred, oblivious to the fact that everyone else that we know is completely on board and supportive of us."

"I guess, I see where you're coming from." Ron conceded.

"Thank you, Ron." Hermione tentatively smiled at him for the first time in a while.

Just then, the floo lit green and Ginny walked through the fireplace, followed by Fleur, Angelina and Penelope. Hermione glanced at the clock on the wall, noting that it was early afternoon and the girls had planned a shopping trip and dinner – the reason for her taking the day off. The girls stopped and looked between Hermione and Ron, Angelina's face asking her if she was alright.

"It's fine." Hermione nodded to the girls, then to Ron, "I'm not saying that I forgive you for everything that's happened in the recent months between us, and I especially don't forgive you for what you did to Harry, but we are fine for now, Ron. It will take me some time, and meanwhile, I'd appreciate if you called ahead before you dropped in. I feel as though our friendship is strained at the moment, and some time apart may do it some good."

Ron hung his head a little dejectedly, feeling defeated, "Sure, Mi. I'll see you around, I guess."

Once Ron had left, Hermione turned to the girls, smiling and looking down at her flannel pyjama pants and baggy sweater, "One second, I'll just get changed before we go. We can gossip while we pick out a new closet for me."

* * *

The initial reaction Ron had to his conversation with Hermione was that of anger and defeat. He could see his family, Harry, and even Hermione slipping away from him. He spent the next few weeks moping, attempting to hatch a plan to get Hermione and maintain his tenuous relationship with Harry and his family.

"I need that book!" Ron growled exasperatedly to himself, sinking down onto his bed.

He took some parchment paper and began penning a note to Hermione, "I suppose if I give her what she wants, maybe she'll be forthcoming with the information." He muttered to himself.

 _Dear Hermione,_

 _I am deeply sorry for the anguish that I have caused you over the past few months. I never intended to place any strain on our friendship and would like it if we could get back to a comfortable place in our relationship again._

 _As an effort of good faith, I was hoping you could tell me more about your bond with my brother and the spell that he used. Do you still have the book that he found it in? Could we meet to discuss?_

 _Your friend,  
Ron_

He borrowed Pig and sent the small owl to Hermione's apartment, hoping for a speedy response.

A few days went by before he heard anything from her, a strange owl coming with a large parcel for him.

 _Dear Ron,_

 _Sorry that it took so long to respond. I don't have my own owl yet, so I'm borrowing the new one that George and I purchased for the shop's correspondence._

 _I'm ecstatic to see that you are taking our conversation seriously and acting mature about this entire situation._

 _I am becoming increasingly busy as we prepare for the shop's reopening next month and my planning to save Fred, and unfortunately don't have time to meet up with you anytime soon. I also feel as though our friendship just isn't there yet, Ron, but as you have asked about the bond, I took the liberty of sending you a duplicate copy of the book that Fred found with the page marked and a copy of my research into the topic._

 _I hope all is well with you,  
Hermione_

Ron hadn't realised how easy it would be. He uncovered the book in its brown parcel paper, holding it to his face and flipping to the marked page.

"It's all here!" He yelled in glee. It would be the first book that he read cover to cover without any assistance from Hermione. This would be his new project, how to modify the spell to force Hermione to bond with him instead. She would be his, after all.

* * *

Hermione had spent the month helping George with preparations in the shop. Now that the entire family knew about her time travel, she had new perspectives on how to save her love. She spent many afternoons with George and Angie coming up with ideas, eventually Harry and Ginny joining them in her flat once they found out about the regular meetings. Occasionally Percy would send an owl to ask if there was any progress, explaining that he partially blamed himself for Fred's death and anything that Hermione could do to save him would make him eternally indebted to her. Hermione took Percy to witness the event himself a couple of times, trying to show him that he couldn't have done anything. She sent explanations and copies of her journal entries for him to read, describing the effect of saving Fred and Percy taking his place as well. After a little while, Percy had come around to stop blaming himself, corresponding to help with ideas for their plan as well.

One particular afternoon, Ginny stood up abruptly, whipping her head around to Hermione and pointing her finger, "Where do the death eaters go after they kill Fred?"

"I don't know, Gin. Why?" Hermione asked, clearly confused at being accosted so.

"Well, I think that we should trail them next time. Yes, I know it's dangerous, but hear me out." Ginny sat back down and glanced around to the rest of the group, "If we want to keep the past the same, we see where the death eaters go afterwards and make note of everything they do until they die. Then, instead, we kill them before they have the chance to kill Fred and replicate everything they did afterwards."

"Ginny," George began slowly, "That could mean killing friends, classmates, Order members."

"I know, but we're running out of ideas." Ginny sighed, "Even with two of us, killing both of them before they killed Fred, things would change now."

"How bad would that be though?" Harry piped up, "We could save more lives than we're intending."

"Yes, but that could change everything about the future. What if one of our side died, but also took out a different death eater during the fight, and he went on to kill four more people instead? Or what if there are reformed death eaters currently out there helping out the light side that die in the wrong ending to the Battle?" Hermione explained.

"Look, we don't know what happened to them after they kill Fred, why don't we follow them first and then see what we can do?" Angie offered.

So that's what they did. The five of them split into two groups and followed both death eaters until they died. When they returned to the future, Harry brought the pensieve he found in Grimmauld Place over to Hermione's flat and they pooled their memories to view over again.

The original caster that George, Angelina, and Ginny had followed (under a powerful invisibility charm) had hastily made his way out of the corridor and, unwittingly into a large dilapidated balcony area, where he was promptly lifted by a hippogriff, dropping his wand in the process, and flung several dozen metres away.

"So I guess he's pretty out of the picture. Nothing of note really happened there." Harry stated.

They all agreed that the original caster was, for lack of a more tactful phrase, easily disposed of.

"Ours was a little more difficult than that." Hermione explained.

Harry and Hermione followed the second caster under Harry's invisibility cloak. Following this man, he turned sharply down a corridor towards battle noises. There he found a bunch of enlarged spiders climbing through a gap in the wall. He abruptly stopped and instead found a set of stairs that weren't crumbling, descending to the bottom floor, firing wayward spells as he went, but missing them all ("His aim's as bad as the stormtroopers!" Harry exclaimed. Hermione laughed). Once at the ground floor, he proceeded outside into a courtyard where he was confronted by none other than Colin Creevey. After a short battle, Colin's small, lifeless body fell to the floor. A moment later, Oliver Wood walked through an archway and fired off a bunch of spells before the death eater knew what was happening and he, too, fell to the floor with a thud. Immediately following this, Oliver ran to Colin's body and a tear slipped down his face. Voldemort's voice pierced through the Battle, asking for a moment to collect the dead, where Neville found Oliver and helped him to take Colin's body into the Great Hall.

"This poses an issue." George stated as Harry looked uncomfortable and all of the girls had tears pricking their eyes.

"I can't kill a child!" Ginny sobbed.

"So," Hermione drew out, gears turning in her head, "we don't kill Colin. We save Colin too. He's underage! As soon as he's found out, McGonagall will practically order him to leave, or at least stay out of the fight, so there's nothing else he could tamper with during the Battle. Oh this is brilliant!"

"Mione, you're way ahead of us, please explain?" Harry asked.

"We kill both death eaters, then we impersonate the second one, but instead of killing Colin, we just use a body binding spell on him. Once he's incapacitated, Oliver will come out and still think that he's dead, start firing off spells and we use a very small _protego_ and pretend to drop to the ground, dead until they remove Colin's body. If the plan works, Fred will be alive, and Colin too. We then just make sure that Fred stays out of any more duels, but I know he and Percy don't encounter anyone else before the dead are collected." Hermione spoke fast and excitedly, her volume rising as she explained.

The other four sat there in varying states of stunned, impressed, and thoughtful. George was the first to break the ensuing silence, scraping his chair back with tears pricking his eyes.

"Hermione, if I didn't have Angie, I could kiss you right now. Honestly, this is the closest we've ever been, and I feel like it's going to work." George stood and walked around the table to embrace her. They stood in a tight hug, both with tears slowly leaking from their eyes.

The other three also expressed their optimism and assent to the plan, with Hermione sending an owl to Percy to inform him of what they had discovered and planned. They ordered takeout and sat down to eat dinner whilst still discussing the specifics of the plan.

Hermione smiled to herself when the others left her apartment at an ungodly hour of the morning. She walked over to the locked bedroom door and placed a hand on the woodwork, "I've almost got you back, Fred. I love you."

* * *

 **A/N: I always hated Colin's death. He was underage and I still think of him as the overexcited little kid who just wants to take his idol's picture. So I (hopefully) found a way out of him dying ;)**

 **Please please review. I really really want inspiration from you all and I'd love to hear what you think, if you like it or think I'm taking it in a strange direction or if this actually makes sense at all (I don't have a beta D:)**

 **Next chapter - enacting a plan ;)**

 **All my love xxx**


	9. Getting Him Back

**A/N: Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a very very Happy New Year! I hope you all had a safe and happy end of the year and start to 2018. I was obviously busy with the festive cheer (my anniversary is new year's day as well, so it got a little hectic), but I hope to get you some more of this in a timely fashion. This is (I think) the penultimate chapter, not including an epilogue, but I mean, it really depends what I feel like doing.**

 **As always thank you to my lovely readers and my even more lovely reviewers! THANK YOU FOR STICKING WITH ME THROUGH ALL OF MY HIATUS PERIODS! :D I haven't forgotten you or this story ~MuchLove~**

 **NOW! Enough with the guff and on with the show!**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter is JK Rowling's creation and I am a mere pawn.**

 *****PLEASE NOTE THERE IS SMUT/LEMONS IN THE FLASHBACK - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED :D**

* * *

Chapter Nine – Getting Him Back

It had been one hundred and twenty-seven days, six hours, and thirteen minutes since Fred's funeral, Hermione really needed to stop counting, but finally this was her last moment to fight for Fred's life. The plan had been solidified, everyone had arrived at Hermione's flat in the clothes that they had worn on the day of the Battle of Hogwarts, with their group comprising Hermione, George, Angelina, Ginny, Harry, and Percy. Hermione liked even numbered groups, and thought that the compact amount would be a powerful asset. Percy was not allowed anywhere in the vicinity of himself whilst not under an invisibility charm, however even still he had to be cautious. The group had split into two, Hermione, George and Angelina in the first group, and Harry, Ginny, and Percy in the second.

"Alright, let's go over the plan just one more time, for my benefit." Harry asked, looking tired.

"George and I are going to kill the two death eaters, preferably without using any unforgivables, then once that's done, George and I will keep past Fred and Percy occupied whilst you, Harry, act as the second death eater." Hermione explained a final time.

"We'll use glamour charms now and then you can stay hidden under the invisibility cloak until it's time for you to meet Colin. Ginny and Percy will follow you under the cloak and with invisibility charms on as well, just in case. They'll have your back throughout this entire ordeal, using defensive spells where necessary." George continued.

"It may be a good idea for one of you to set off a small explosion that would cause a lot of dust or smoke, timed with one of Oliver's shots, just so that Harry has a chance to protect himself and fall convincingly enough that Oliver won't come to check." Hermione looked between Ginny and Percy who just nodded.

"Angie, you'll keep an eye out for Hermione and I, while we are doing what is necessary, and make sure that Fred and Percy don't move. Once we get to them, you can run down the corridor to meet up with us." George said.

"Finally, when Voldemort has called for the dead, we will follow Percy and Fred down to the Great Hall but peel off before we get there, meeting altogether in the alcove off to the side of the courtyard where we jump back into our own timeline and pray that it all worked." Hermione finished, "Are there any more questions?"

Everyone shook their heads and murmured sounds of understanding. A nervous smile passed around the group and everyone was suddenly holding hands and hugging, for luck, encouragement, and anticipation. As Hermione turned to George, a nervous knowing look passed between them and Hermione shed a single tear, George thumbing it away from her cheek and smiling.

The large group apparated separately to Hogsmeade and trudged towards the castle in silence. The air was thick with tension, apprehension, and crackling with magic. All of them were lost in various thoughts, where many revolved around what the future would be like if they successfully pulled this off.

Hermione, however, was calm. Her thoughts lingered only on the task at hand, pragmatically. She thought it may be overwhelming to think of a future with Fred in it, or consider the consequences of her future without him. She pulled the beaded bag across her body and forged ahead, leading the group to the place that she had been travelling from. Using an extension charm on the chain, she eventually wrapped the time turner around everyone in the group, letting out a slow breath and preparing herself for the upcoming moments. As the dial spun uncontrollably backwards, she could feel a rightness about the situation, as if the magic agreed with her plans. She glanced down at her engagement ring and smiled in hope for a brief second before she looked around in the past again, sighing.

The group placed strong glamour and notice-me-not charms on each other and moved to their places; Harry, Ginny, and Percy hid on one side of the classroom to watch for the right time with Angelina, while Hermione and George lay in wait for the two death eaters. The group watched Percy and Fred walk down the corridor to stand in the correct places.

As the first death eater ascended the nearby staircase, Hermione intersected him, "Sorry, I just can't let you pass this time."

"What!?" the death eater asked incredulously, "Mudblood!"

He drew his wand, but Hermione was faster. She cast a non-verbal _levicorpus_ and as his body dangled from its place near the ceiling, she felt almost bad for her victim. "I'm sorry." She whispered quietly. Shaking the feeling and refocussing, she dropped the spell, and as the body plummeted gracelessly towards the staircase, she cast a powerful _reducto_ and the death eater's body disintegrated into ash. Hermione thought she'd feel more upset that she'd blackened her soul and stooped as low as the death eaters, but she didn't. In fact, if anything, she felt a weight lift off of her shoulders – as if the universe was slowly righting itself. 'One step closer to Fred.' She thought.

Meanwhile, George was at the other end of the corridor, stopping the second death eater from finishing his twin off. After a colourful verbal sparring match accompanied by a couple of missed spells, this **was** the stormtrooper after all, George had backed his opponent to the opening in the wall. As they were quite high off of the ground, the death eater had a panicked look on his face. George was unforgiving, casting an _expelliarmus_ to take his wand, then using _locomotor wibbly_ (a jelly-legs curse) to force the second death eater to fall to his death and into an awaiting swarm of acromantulas. 'If the fall didn't kill him, they certainly will.' George thought grimly.

The two ran towards past Percy and Fred, the latter opening his arms to sweep Hermione into a hug that she hadn't realised she'd needed until that moment.

"Hey, love, what's wrong?" Fred asked, worry crossing his face.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing is wrong." Hermione tightened her grip around his neck, pressing kisses to his shoulder.

"You're together?" past Percy more stated than asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah." Fred stammered.

"This fits." Percy nodded approvingly.

George had waited for long enough, pulling his brother into a hug as soon as Hermione had let go.

"Georgy, I saw you five minutes ago." Fred looked concerned again, "Are you both sure you're alright?"

"Yeah," George breathed, tears threatening his eyes, "nothing could be better."

* * *

As soon as Harry, Ginny, and Percy, had watched the second body fall out of the building, they quietly raced towards the staircase, passing George on the way. Harry had his clothes transfigured to look like the death eater robes with a mask that they'd picked up from a muggle craft shop and enhanced with protection charms. When they reached the staircase, Harry took the invisibility cloak off of himself and handed it to the siblings behind him, revealing himself as the death eater impersonator, pretending to shoot spells off in different directions by casting coloured sparks. When Harry entered the courtyard, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He really didn't want to face off against anyone from their side, let alone sweet Colin, who used to follow him around like a puppy – with a bright, flashing camera.

All too soon Harry was pulled from his dread with the appearance of said boy.

"I'm not afraid to fight you!" Colin declared, brandishing his wand in a duelling stance Harry had taught him a few years ago.

Harry pulled his wand out too, casting _petrificus totalus_ before Colin could blink. He breathed out for a moment, before he spotted Oliver Wood racing towards him. Harry put up a quick _protego_ as the first spell came flying towards him.

"That was a **child** you **monster**!" Oliver screamed firing off two more spells in succession.

Harry was hit by the second somewhere in his left leg, just as Ginny cast a _reducto_ at Harry's feet, causing a broken stone tile to explode and spread dust into the sky, allowing Harry to collapse and play dead.

As Hermione had predicted, Oliver ran straight for Colin, ignoring the pseudo-dead body of the death eater he had fought.

"You have fought valiantly, but in vain. I do not wish this. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a terrible waste. I therefore command my forces to retreat. In their absence, dispose of your dead with dignity." Voldemort's voice came through the castle like a whisper directly into everyone's ears.

Harry tuned out the next part, directed at him, as Neville appeared in the archway, running towards Oliver to aid him in carrying Colin's body towards the Great Hall. Once out of sight, Ginny and Percy rushed over to Harry, the latter pulling his wand out and casting healing charms over Harry's leg to stem the bleeding. Ginny turned ghostly white at the sight of Harry's blood leaking all over the ground, attempting to smile reassuringly at her boyfriend but failing. Just then, Hermione rushed into the courtyard with George and Angelina trailing behind, their hands joined. Casting a quick _accio_ into her beaded bag, she produced a bottle of dittany to apply to Harry's wound, closing the laceration in a neat scar.

"I hear that women like a man with scars." George said with a wink. Ginny rolled her eyes as Harry's cheeks tinged pink.

"Did everything go according to plan?" Percy asked the group.

"On our end, absolutely. I may have had to use a small _confundus_ charm on Fred to keep him away from further battle, but otherwise, I think everything went smoothly." Hermione replied and pulled the time turner out to take them all back to the future, "Ready?" She asked as she looped the chain around the group.

Nods of assent were given as the dial spun faster and faster, whizzing the group back to their present day.

"How do we know if it worked?" Angie asked as they arrived.

"Well, we could go back to Hermione's flat to see if anything's different." Ginny suggested.

The six apparated back to Hermione's flat to investigate, only to find the place in a state of strange disarray. Where Hermione had left her bedding in the living room, along with copious notebooks and schematics on the kitchen table, it seemed as though another scene was trying to replace it – one with different books and throw pillows. Hermione's breath hitched as she saw her house in a shimmering state of change and she ran to the bedroom door, hesitating only for a moment before flinging it open. There, sitting on the edge of his side of the bed in nothing but pyjama bottoms was her fiancée, a perplexed look on his face as he studied his hands.

* * *

 _Flashback [A/N: Skip if you are sensitive to smut]_

 _Christmas was always a crazy time of year for Fred and Hermione, where they couldn't show their affection towards each other publicly with the Weasley family, nor with many of their friends if they were at school. This year, they were spending their first Christmas in the apartment and Hermione had planned a Christmas feast for lunch with George and Angelina._

 _It was thusly to her annoyance, that she was currently stuck to the spot under a magical tuft of mistletoe, waiting impatiently for her boyfriend to wake up._

 _"I thought that once we had a house, the mistletoe wouldn't follow us around like it did in Hogwarts." Hermione muttered, then cleared her throat loudly in an attempt to rouse Fred._

 _After a few more attempts and a light stinging hex, Fred woke up, groggily swinging his legs over the bed, clad only in a tight pair of boxer briefs. Suddenly Hermione didn't mind being stuck under the mistletoe._

 _"Happy Christmas, Mia." Fred greeted, smiling up at his girlfriend._

 _"Happy Christmas, Fred. Now please get me out from underneath this mistletoe." Hermione attempted an exasperated look but it melted as Fred stood and stretched, his toned body on full display._

 _"I thought you loved kissing me under the mistletoe." Fred stepped closer, teasing her as his lips whispered down her neck._

 _"I love kissing you always, Fred, but I have a lunch to prepare and this blasted mistletoe is keeping me from my plans." Hermione tried annoyance this time, but Fred's hands were roaming small circles over her hips._

 _"Maybe we can delay those plans, just slightly." Fred kissed around the back of her neck, a sensitive area that he'd found last week, "I may have some plans myself."_

 _"Fred," Hermione warned, although it came out more as a moan as Fred nibbled lightly on the shell of her ear._

 _"I'm not hearing a no, Mia." Fred sucked on her pulse point at her neck, "But just to be certain, I'd rather hear you saying yes."_

 _All pretences were off. Hermione's plans could take a back seat because all she wanted right now was Fred. But she wasn't about to let him off that easily._

 _"And if I say yes, what exactly do you have in mind?" Hermione teased, a smirk in her voice._

 _Fred kissed her forehead, her cheeks, trailed kisses down her neck, pulling her thin tank top over her head to reveal her bare breasts, licking his lips and palming them as he kissed his way down her stomach. His teeth grazed over her prominent hip bone, tongue swirling after it. Fred pulled her pyjama shorts and underwear down so they pooled at her feet, neglecting her hot, wet core, and instead braced his hands on the back of her thighs, licking the crease at her pelvis and trailing down her inner thigh._

 _He stood up then, lips next to her ear, breath tickling the baby hairs, "My plan is to free you from this incredibly helpful mistletoe, deposit you on our bed, and ravish you until you cum screaming my name."_

 _"So," Fred stood back, drawling, "do I hear a yes?"_

 _"Yes." Hermione breathed, eyelids fluttering like a schoolgirl (she rationalised that she_ _ **was**_ _still a schoolgirl, technically)._

 _With that he kissed her, hard and passionately, pouring everything he had controlled up to this point into the kiss. He pulled her against his body, feeling her breasts pressed against his firm chest, his erection digging into her stomach. Fred picked her up, not breaking the kiss, and placed her on the bed, falling on top of her as gracefully as possible, attempting to get rid of his underwear at the same time. Both of them were panting as he broke the kiss in frustration to fumble his way out of the bothersome article of clothing currently separating himself and his lover from pure ecstasy._

 _Once the clothing had been removed, Hermione's arms came up to caress Fred's muscular arms, settling on his upper back and pulling her hips up to grind her dripping core across his hard member. She shuddered as her clit rubbed over his erection which twitched in pleasure as her juices coated him and he groaned._

 _Their eyes connected, betraying their desire, the want for each other, heat building between them. Fred plunged into her at a slow pace, but Hermione's hips grinding into him, matching his movements, drove the pace frantic almost from the beginning. Her moans echoed through the flat. His gritted out cries of "Mia" were interspersed with praises._

 _"Baby," Hermione panted through a moan, "I'm so close."_

 _"Me too, love." Fred replied, movements becoming completely erratic._

 _They were lost to each other, in each other, kisses and touches, love bites and fingernails. Hermione's moans were closer to shrieks, as Fred pumped in and out of her, hitting that spot over and over again, making her feel as if she were coiling tight and unwinding all at the same time._

 _And then her noises ceased altogether, her mouth hanging open in an orgasm filled, noiseless scream. Her breasts heaved up into Fred's chest. His arm instinctively wrapped around her body to press her tight to him. He kissed her neck, moving to her nipples as he grazed them with his teeth. His body was relentless as he kept moving, riding Hermione through her orgasm, building it further, closer to his own._

 _Suddenly Hermione sucked in a sharp breath, body going limp for a moment before she changed her position, legs wrapping up around Fred's waist as her thighs tremored with aftershock from her orgasm. Her euphoria was a drug and she was perfectly content to lie back as Fred pounded into her centre, absolutely dripping now from her arousal and her orgasm. Hermione had never felt so good. So good in fact that…_

 _"Oh_ _ **Gods**_ _, Fred!" She screamed, as once more an orgasm arrested her body. This time, her tightening walls brought Fred with her as he cried out her name, milking him until they were both completely spent. Fred kissed her bruised lips sweetly and gently, full of tenderness and love for her. He looked down to admire his princess, his absolute angel._

 _"I adore you, Mia." Fred kissed her forehead, "Merry Christmas."_

 _"Merry Christmas, love." Hermione pulled him tightly to her in a sweaty embrace._

 _After the pair had showered and cleaned up, they moved into the kitchen, Fred helping Hermione with any task she asked of him – as he_ _ **had**_ _distracted her this morning and now she was "completely behind schedule!"_

 _"Fred!" Hermione's yell came from the kitchen as tidied the living room for their guests._

 _Fred appeared in the doorway in moments, then had to stifle a laugh at the irate look on his lover's face. She stood, hands on hips underneath a fresh blossom of enchanted mistletoe._

 _"I understand the castle, but at home too?" Hermione asked exasperatedly._

 _"About that…" Fred trailed off sheepishly but moved to circle his arms around her waist._

 _"What have you done, Fred?" Hermione asked in a tone that he knew could lead him to an ear bashing._

 _"The mistletoe at school was almost always me. I always wanted any excuse I could get to kiss you, and I took it. Guess I forgot to remove the charm when we got the home to ourselves." Fred smiled down at her with boyish charm and it made any annoyance melt away._

 _"Actually…" It was Hermione's turn to look sheepish, "It might have been my charm. I might have done the same thing."_

 _Hermione stretched up on her toes and planted a swift kiss onto Fred's shocked lips and danced her way back to the stovetop._

 _"This is the reason I love you." Fred laughed after her._

* * *

"Fred…" she breathed. He looked up at his name and smiled at her, that same warm smile full of love that she had missed for months.

"I love you, Hermione." Fred stood and walked towards her, holding out a hand to caress her cheek but stopping short and frowning, "What's happening to me?"

"What do you remember?" she asked.

"Everything." He replied, a telling look in his eyes.

"I need you, Fred." Hermione said, tears leaking from her eyes.

"I know, love." Fred pulled his wand out and cast the spell over his arm to reveal his bond to Hermione. She copied his movements, her own bond appearing in a matter of moments.

Both bonds had blackened significantly, however a strange silver shimmer ran through the darkness now.

"What do we do?" Fred asked, a pained expression crossing his face as he saw her darkened bond.

"We could try… touching?" Hermione suggested, reaching her left hand towards Fred's, her engagement ring glinting in the light.

Fred reached out too, fingers mere inches from Hermione's and tension mounting in the air, when the two were interrupted by a commotion in the living room.

Hermione turned to investigate, stopping just outside the bedroom door, and was faced with a bound Harry, several knocked out or paralysed Weasleys, and a duelling Angelina.

"I won't let you come in here and ruin this, Ron!" Angie yelled, casting a spider-conjuring charm to hopefully disarm her opponent. Ron was taken aback for a moment, before conflagrating the creatures and sending Angelina into a wall, fixing his attention on Hermione.

"Fred," Hermione whispered, "stay behind me, please. I can't have you hurt again."

"Don't worry about me, love. Just focus on keeping yourself safe." He murmured into her ear.

"Hermione!" Ron greeted, "And Fred, how lovely of you to join us." He sneered at the latter, but kept his attention on the girl.

"Hello, Ronald. Why are you in my apartment, knocking out my family?" Hermione questioned pointedly, taking a few steps forward and gesturing around the room.

"They're trying to get between us – and before you say anything, I have finally figured it all out." Ron stated.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked cautiously.

Ron pointed his wand directly at Hermione, casting a spell that sounded familiar, but somehow different.

"In a few moments, your bond with Fred should be severed and your bond to me should take its place." Ron said proudly, twirling his wand between his fingers.

Hermione glanced down at her arm, the bond slowly twisting its way back towards her heart, silver strands moving towards her engagement ring.

"I modified the incantation that Fred had first spoken to you. It should render any previous bond obsolete and be replaced with one from the caster." Ron explained, "Your notes and those books really were the key. I haven't studied anything so hard in my life. Honestly, you'd be proud of me, 'Mi."

Fred looked down at his own arm, watching the bond disappear and frantically thinking of something to do.

"Hermione," Fred whispered, "slowly reach for my hand, love."

Hermione's hand slowly twitched backwards, down to her side, her eyes never moving from Ron.

"Oh no, Hermione, we can't have that." Ron said, casting a _brachium mortis_ to paralyse her arm and turning his wand on Fred. "Now, Fred, I suppose it's your turn."

Fred reached desperately for Hermione's hand, inches away.

" _Petrificus totalus!_ "

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger. I'll post soon.**

 **Love as always xxx**


	10. Resolutions

**A/N: Hey everyone, this is going to be the final chapter for the little saga I've put together for you. Kinda short and sweet, just wrapping up the last few loose ends I think, and getting you all off that cliff. Any questions or plot flaws, shoot me a message or a review and I'll be happy to respond :D**

 **If you would like an epilogue, I may do a short sliced together shot of the future, but please let me know in the reviews! :)**

 **I have to say that even though it's been a short journey, I've loved writing this story and being able to share it with all of you. Thank you for coming along for the ride, reviewing, hanging on in suspense, and sending me all of the positivity (along with any constructive criticisms along the way).**

 **As always, please review, because I do really love reading them. I hope that this satisfies all cliff hanger hate :)**

 *****DISCLAIMER: THERE IS SMUT/LEMONS IN THIS CHAPTER*** (although I mean, they just got back to each other, did you actually expect anything less from me?)**

 **Disclaimer: JKR is queen and I am not worthy ~ She owns HP and also my heart.**

* * *

Chapter Ten - Resolutions

Hermione's body hit the floor with a painful thud. If she had to guess, a couple of ribs had cracked or at least bruised severely.

"Damnit, I'm so sorry Hermione." Ron fumbled, "I was aiming for Fred. You know I would never hurt you on purpose."

Fred looked down worriedly at his fiancée, right hand twitching to extend his wand and help her.

"Fred, don't you get it? She's not yours to help." Ron seemingly read his thoughts and walked closer but Fred stood protectively by Hermione, noting that the bond was rapidly disappearing up his arm.

Ron removed the curse from Hermione, but only to allow her face movement, effectively only allowing her to speak. He aimed his wand at his brother with a dark gleam in his eyes, "I'm going to hurt you, you monster, like you've been hurting Hermione all these years."

"Ron, you don't have to do this. You don't need to hurt him for me." Hermione pleaded. Ron ignored her, fixed on the twin standing before him.

Fred raised his own wand, "Ron, I don't want to hurt you. You're my baby brother."

A loud crack suddenly echoed through the flat and before anyone could register the arrival of a new person, Ron fell to the floor, writhing, ropes binding themselves around him magically and his wand flung away from his body. Hermione's eyes drifted from the incarcerated body on the floor to his attacker and came face to face with a fiery-eyed Molly Weasley.

"That was…" Fred began.

"Unexpected." Hermione finished.

Fred hurriedly lifted the curse from Hermione as Molly rushed towards them both. She swept her long-lost son into her arms, crushing him against her bosom in an embrace so tight that Fred joked, "You'll suck the life right back out of me, mum."

After a few more moments, Molly let her son go and turned to survey the rest of the room, waving her wand to lift curses from the rest of the group.

"How did you know about all this?" Hermione questioned the matriarch.

"I was in the kitchen getting a head start on this year's Christmas sweaters – the family keeps growing, see – and I noticed that one by one, the hands on the family clock started turning to 'danger'. With everything that had been going on recently with you and Ron, I was concerned, so I checked his bedroom and found a bunch of books and papers regarding that bond of yours. As soon as I found them I apparated here, and just in time too." Molly turned to look at her youngest son still struggling on the floor. Her eyes betrayed sadness and disappointment as she turned away and began bustling around the others, checking that they weren't injured.

Hermione wheezed as she sat up, ribs definitely tender and hindering her breathing. She chanced a glance at the bond on her left arm and let out a strangled yelp.

"Are you alright, love?" Fred asked worriedly, crouching in front of her and instinctively taking her hand in his. The room glowed a bright white, overpowering all other senses. All that Fred and Hermione could see were each other in an expanse of white light, drowning everything out.

"No!" Ron cried from his bound position on the floor. Ginny shot a silencing spell in his direction as she and her mother sobbed at the sight.

The light dissipated and the room slowly made its way back into focus. Hermione could see Harry and George's faces of awe, Angelina's understanding, and Percy's curiosity. Fred's right hand came up to caress her cheek, leaving their left joined. Their eyes were drawn to the thick, silvery-white cord stemming from Hermione's heart to Fred's and the reality of everything hit Hermione like a train. Thick tears rolled down her face and small sobs escaped her lips. Fred thumbed the tears away as soon as they bloomed and bowed their foreheads together.

"I love you, Mia." Fred stated simply, but in that statement was a lifetime of sentiment.

"I love you too, Fred." Hermione responded, 'my Fred' she thought to herself.

They shared a soft, lingering kiss. A strange vibration in magic broke the pair apart and Hermione's eyes grew wide as she watched the semi-permanent objects in her house, including Fred, become suddenly solid.

"I think that the magic decided to merge the universes." Percy concluded.

"Do you think it was love?" Harry asked with a wink. Everyone laughed.

* * *

The family was gathered at the Weasley home, sitting in various states around the living room while Molly busied herself in the kitchen. Fred had a heartfelt reunion with everyone gathered, whilst his nonexistence remained unknown to anyone outside of present company. Ron was notably missing, as Harry had sent a _patronus_ directly to Kingsley Shacklebolt, the democratically appointed Minister for Magic, to ask for an Auror to be sent to pick Ron up and be taken to St. Mungo's. He had been processed into the system and was currently in a rehabilitation program to help with his anger issues and obsession with Hermione. As a war hero, the hospital members privy to his treatments had taken a vow (less serious than an unbreakable) where they were not allowed to speak of his existence at the hospital to anyone besides the people within the pact, to prevent it from getting to the tabloids. During processing, Hermione had been rushed to a different wing of the hospital and treated for her ailments. She had cracked two ribs, one of which was dangerously close to puncturing a lung. However, with a little skele-grow and a touch of magic, Hermione was right as rain, albeit a little stiff in some areas. Hermione had attempted to see Ron a final time before he was sent away, but the mediwitch in charge of the rehab program had advised against it for his condition, especially considering his fixation on her.

During the hubbub caused by a Weasley family gathering (that finally included both twins), Hermione tracked quietly into the kitchen, finding a demure Molly staring out at her garden through the window. She coughed a little to announce herself, so as not to startle the older witch, and Molly smiled a sad smile as she recognised who it was.

"Hermione, dear, you shouldn't be on your feet right now." Molly pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit. She turned around to make some tea for the two and settled down on a chair opposing Hermione.

"Thank you, Molly. For everything. That can't have been easy – turning your wand on a family member, I don't know if I could have. I don't know what to say, how to repay you." Hermione's voice choked a little, unsure and curious as to what was going through the matriarch's mind.

"It wasn't easy, I won't lie to you, but it had to be done. The choice was made for me when Ron acted the way he did towards you, and especially your relationship with his brother. I could liken the moment to facing Bellatrix when she came close to hurting Ginny. It was instinctual to protect you." Molly took Hermione's hands in hers across the table and looked her squarely in the eyes, only a little anguish betraying her, "Hermione, you are as much my daughter as Ginny is, as far as I'm concerned. Knowing that you and Fred are engaged to be married just solidifies that fact. You have nothing at all to be thanking me for, in fact, I should be thanking you, for giving me my son back."

Hermione was openly crying. She had long thought of Molly as a mother towards her, especially in the magical world, even after hearing Molly say that she was a part of the family and she was like her daughter on several occasions, nothing could compare to the resolution that she saw in Molly's eyes during the events of the day. Hermione was exhausted, sore, hungry, and overall emotional, allowing her tears to flow freely as Molly cried with her, the two embracing as they let everything out.

Neither of the ladies noticed the figure that had been standing in the doorway, proud as hell of his mother, but even prouder of his fiancée. The enormity of the moment didn't escape Fred, and he smiled to himself, completely indebted to the two powerful witches seated before him. He took another moment to allow the most important women in his life a little privacy as they completely bawled their eyes out, before he stepped forward and cleared his throat, eyes glistening.

Molly wiped her tears hurriedly when she saw her son, trying to never quite betray that "always okay" façade, and turned once again to check on her stove for dinner. Hermione simply stayed where she was and opened her arms for an expected hug, which Fred gladly provided, causing her to cry even more.

"Love, I'm here, I'm real, you did it baby, you're stuck with me here forever." Fred whispered into her hair.

Hermione smiled a little, sniffing back a few straggling tears, "It feels so good to just hug you, hear your voice, smell your uniquely Fred scent."

"Mia, I will never grow tired of being with you." Fred responded and held her closer.

Molly looked at the couple, observing everything, knowing just how perfect they were for each other, "Words can't express how happy I am that the two of you are together. It just fits."

Hermione and Fred stayed locked in their embrace and looked up at their mother, smiling, "Yeah," Fred started, "It really does."

* * *

"Freeeeed," Hermione whinged.

It had been an entire week since Fred had been back in her life and Hermione was frustrated. He wasn't letting her do anything "on doctor's orders" to the point where he was even helping her dress. She had hoped that maybe seeing her naked would also lead to a little more than just dressing, but Fred was being stubborn. It wasn't even that she particularly wanted sex, just a way to be closer to Fred, and cuddles were just not cutting it. Fred had been extra cautious around Hermione, hoping not to disturb her bruises and broken bones too much, whilst still trying to remain as close to her as possible constantly. He had explained that he had some memories of the time that he was in the other universe, but they faded slightly, like dreams, when the universes merged – or more like the other universe's existence of Fred had been transplanted into this one, Hermione had deduced. This meant that to Fred, the couple had made love several times recently, and to Hermione, it had been months of abstinence and having Fred so close to her was driving her crazy.

"Yes, love?" Fred called from the kitchen. He had forced her to sit on the couch as he cooked for them both, as he had been doing all week.

"Please let me help or do something?" Hermione whined, "I feel utterly useless and I'm perfectly fine!"

"The doctors said a week–" Fred began.

"It **has** been a week!" Hermione countered, "A very long, very tortuous week."

"Angel, it hasn't been that bad, stop being so melodramatic." Fred leant in the doorframe to the kitchen with a hand on his hip. Hermione pouted back at him and he laughed, "Alright, come here and help me stir this pasta.

"Fettuccini carbonara?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"Of course, it's your favourite." He replied as he took her waist and guided her to the stove.

The smell was amazing and Hermione was revelling in it, memorising every detail. It hadn't fully registered that she missed such small things in the time that she had without him, but Fred's carbonara was the most amazing meal on the planet and she wanted to commit it to her memory forever.

"Are you going to just stand there with your nose in the air or are you going to help me?" Fred asked, poking her lightly with the end of a wooden spoon.

Hermione huffed slightly but smiled, "I'm helping, I am!"

"I don't see it." Fred replied, teasingly.

Hermione's response was a quick flick of her wand, setting the pots to stir themselves.

Fred pouted at her, "Now where's the fun in that?"

She moved over to the stove and took the moving spoon, pulling out a piece of fettuccini and tasting it, "It's ready anyway."

She flicked her wand at the pasta once again to set itself draining over the sink as Fred moved back to the sauce, adding a last dash of parmesan and stirring languorously.

The couple ate together at the smaller, more intimate kitchen table. Hermione turned the radio on for some background music and poured two glasses of wine while Fred plated the pasta. Dinner was slow as they spent the entire time talking and laughing, catching up on each other and reminiscing.

When they were both satisfied, Fred set the dishes to wash themselves and they both snuggled up on the couch together to finally watch _Hercules_ together, like they had planned. They laughed, cried, paused the movie to get snacks, laughed some more, and even had a heated debate about the logistics of Hades' hair. When the movie was well and truly over, they decided to go to bed.

"Tired yet, love?" Hermione asked innocently.

"Not yet, I thought I might start reading one of the mountain of recommended books you've so graciously stacked beside the bed for me." Fred jibed.

"As thoughtful as that sounds," She rolled her eyes, "I was hoping to spend some more time with you."

"Alright Mia, what did you have in mind?" Fred could play the innocent game too.

Hermione sighed exasperatedly and climbed on to the bed, "Fred, I know that you're being fragile with me, but I really need you."

He didn't expect her to be so forthcoming, "I need you too love, are you sure?"

"I have never been surer in my life." Hermione nodded and crawled up the bed, towards her lover.

When she reached him, he cupped her face gently and pulled her in for a long, tender kiss. She traced her fingers across his shoulders, arms, chest, eventually pulling his shirt off to feel his skin beneath her fingertips. Fred was doing similar things, drawing circles on her back and threading his fingers into her hair. Her shirt soon followed his and Hermione hummed as her breasts found contact with his bare chest.

Fred pulled back for a moment, "Mia, I need you." He repeated.

"I don't want this to be just sex, Fred. I need you too, like I've never felt before." Hermione whispered.

His hands twined into her hair again and they kissed feverishly for a moment before slowing down again. They removed the rest of their clothing, breaking the kiss as minimally as possible, and Fred lay Hermione down in the centre of the bed, his muscular form hovering above her. His forearms framed her face, hair cascading out like a halo around her on the bed as he played with a strand near her ear.

"I love you, Mia." Fred kissed her forehead and slowly moved himself inside of her.

Hermione had missed this. The feeling of being full, being completed by her other half. They were joined together physically and emotionally, tethered by their magic and love. Fred was as deep as he could be, buried inside his fiancée to the fullest, he kissed her softly down her face, neck and collar bones, arching her body up to be as close as possible using his hand on her back.

And then he moved. Their eyes connected and Hermione felt tears pricking from the intensity of the moment. Fred's movements were long and slow. Neither of them felt the need to move fast, savouring every second of being together like it was their first time all over again. He kissed her slowly, deeply, willing her to know how much she meant to him from that single kiss. Hermione matched it with her own love, arms snaking around his neck as she pulled her hips to meet him further.

They stayed at a constant pace for a while, revelling in small touches and little kisses, remembering how it felt to be loved so fully, to feel so right in the world.

Hermione extended her left arm up, just above her head and Fred took the cue, taking her hand in his left and watching their magic spring to life. Colours spread around them, red for their love and passion, gold for their magic and courage, black for their hardships, and white for their peace. It was overwhelming to the senses and just pure magic. As Fred continued to move inside her, she felt her body crying out for release, craving her partner more and more, loving his touch, remembering the feel of his body over her. The pace quickened slightly, their kisses growing more feverish, more passionate. Hermione's free arm was clutching Fred's back as she held her body closer to his, breasts heaving against his chest with every stroke. Fred braced himself against her and thrust deep and hard, willing Hermione to let go with him.

Together they moved, moaning each other's' names, matching each other, fitting together perfectly, until finally, amidst the throes of passion, Hermione's broken cry of "Fred" came along with her crashing orgasm. Fred let himself cum too, slowing down until they were rocking together, riding out the most intense orgasm they'd both had. The magic around them continued to swirl and Hermione had begun to cry, tears that could only express how much overwhelming love she felt for Fred, and how much love she had been given from this man within her.

"I love you, Fred. You're my everything." Hermione whispered into his chest.

"I love you too, Hermione. I'll be with you forever." Fred replied.

* * *

 **A/N: As always, I would love a review from you all. They honestly make my day. I literally squeal when I see the email notification and start flashing my phone around to my boyfriend until he reads it and says "good job, honey".**

 **SO PROVE ME RIGHT AND MAKE SURE HE KNOWS PEOPLE READ THIS AND STUFF :D**

 **See you in the (potential) epilogue xxx**


	11. Epilogue Slideshow

**A/N: This has been an amazing journey, thank you all for coming along for the ride. This is going to be my final chapter. Please review, share, love, favourite, follow, this story, and me. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing.**

 **Disclaimer for a final time: I do not own anything, JKR owns it all.**

 *****NOTE: this chapter does have about a paragraph of smut but I didn't think it needed it too much, so if you're sensitive and would like to skip it, it's part of "Honeymoon"**

* * *

Epilogue Slideshow

For weeks after Fred had been back, the couple never spent any time apart. Most of their days were spent enjoying each other's' company in their apartment, joined by the occasional visitor, but mainly in their own solitude, learning each other all over again. It was hard for Hermione especially, living away from him all those months on the run, then only having him back for a fleeting moment before being separated almost permanently. Fred told her the odd story of when he would remember something from the other universe, strangely sparking new memories for Hermione that she hadn't lived herself, feeling like a unique sort of déjà vu. They spent a lot of time testing their bond, looking into ways to strengthen it, keep themselves from the agony of it being severed again. It felt comfortable again, it felt right.

After a slow mourning period, life slowly resumed as normal. Fred and Hermione went back to working at the shop, whilst also volunteering to rebuild Hogwarts along with several other classmates and professors when the ministry deemed to reopen. The school would be up and running the next year with McGonagall as headmistress, and Hermione had been granted the privilege to sit the final exams and graduate whenever she was ready, with private tutoring from each professor monthly. She felt as though sitting through classes with the younger students or those her age that were returning, or even living in the castle with everyone, after the war may be too much – being a war hero and McGonagall's favourite student, helped her pull a few strings to ensure she had proper education at her liberty.

The shop was doing better than ever, with a new line of adult only products to satisfy a growing demand, along with the constant flow of children. The world needed a bit of cheer, and as morbid as it seemed, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes really managed to capitalise on the post-war climate.

Fred and Hermione both had issues, occasionally slipping into moments of reverie, or having small bouts of depression. Both suffered from night terrors, the war leaving an impact that ran deeper than their conscious selves. They – along with almost every other friend and family member they had – had both visited with mind healers after the war, together and separately, to help them resolve their issues and acclimatise to this new era. This had lead them to develop another, much smaller, line of products in the shop, focussed on healing and temporary escape, building on the Patented Daydream Charms but using healing techniques to help the user be at peace with their issues. It was vastly popular once the first batch was released, and Hermione, Fred and George had donated all proceeds from these products to a new foundation set up for war torn families, content in knowing that their products would help on a small scale, and a larger one.

 **Parents**

Hermione felt sick. She wasn't sure if it was the portkey travel or the impending task, but something was going to make her breakfast come up. Since they had settled back into a normal routine, Hermione and Fred had been furiously researching ways for her to restore her parents' memories. They'd refused to get married without her parents there to witness, despite pressure from the Weasley matriarch, and had thrown themselves into the research at any spare moment they had. With frequent trips to the ministry to see Kingsley, she and Fred had finally arrived in Australia, with an auror in tow, to attempt to bring her parents back to England with them. The trip was scheduled to take any time between a week and a year, with the trio hoping for the former.

The first week went by with a lot of tears. Hermione was visibly shaken almost every encounter she had with Wendell and Monica Wilkins, running to their temporary home afterwards and sobbing into Fred's waiting arms. Hermione's parents were running a lovely old timey sweet shop in a small corner shop in the suburbs, doubling as their home – much like Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was to George.

After several visits, Hermione began laughing at the nuances that she noticed in these obliviated versions of her parents. Firstly, they seemed as if they didn't belong there at all, with fair skin and the odd sunburn, their British skin was obviously not built for the Australian sun. Secondly, they had the same mannerisms, with the occasional odd look at Hermione and Fred, as if they almost but not quite recognised them from somewhere. Finally, as if their dentistry roots couldn't be knocked out of them, they sold every bag of sweets with a disclaimer to "make sure you brush twice a day, or they'll give you cavities" as any customer walked out the door.

The third week, Hermione began attempting to restore their memories. With auror supervision and permission from the Minister of Magic himself, she used quick wandwork to send her parents into a deep, unending sleep, close up shop and place protective wards around the building. Using the house portion of the building, she transfigured a couch into another bed, and levitated her father onto this bed, as she and Fred began incantations, prepared runes, and reversal spells to replace the memories they had prior to Hermione's _obliviate_. It took fifteen sessions spread over three days to fully restore all of her father's memories. Once he was alert enough, he broke down into tears at seeing his daughter, much like she imagined it had been for her and Fred when their separate universes came together, this was as if her father had been living in a different version of the same world for him, unknowing about his true life. Her mother's spell reversal took a little longer, with marginally more memories to restore of her daughter, along with memories that were harder to forget, such as the pain of childbirth. It took five days to fully restore her mother's memories, and she had the same reaction as her father. Fred and Hermione took turns explaining what had happened in the wizarding world, why Hermione had to erase their memories, and generally catching them up on their lives and the crazy turn of events that finally led them to today. After a small time of disapproval and chastising, Hermione's ever practical parents deduced that there was no point in arguing what had already been done, but just to spend as much time as they could with their daughter now that they had her back in their lives.

* * *

 **Ron**

After about six months into Ron's treatment, the carers had begun allowing him visitors. The only people that weren't allowed to see him to begin with were Hermione, Fred, George, and Molly. As much as Molly understood that she had turned her wand against her own son, she had been spotted by her family with tears in her eyes at the mention of Ron's name, asking to be told about others' visits and fussing over him vicariously through her husband. From all accounts, he had become a lot more mellow, maturing in a lot of his thoughts and generally not making rash decisions.

It took a month for the staff to allow Molly a visit, and the rest of the family swore it was because she finally became too stir crazy and confounded a nurse, although no one was going to admit that. Molly had begun by giving him a tongue lashing, which Ron had sat and accepted. However, after a rigorous step by step apology both ways over numerous visits, the matriarch and her youngest son were better than ever, with Molly commenting herself on how he had changed.

Another month went past before Fred and George were allowed to see Ron. George still had his reservations, considering how protective he had become of Hermione, and especially his own twin. George had resolved that he wouldn't just roll over and forgive Ron if he just said sorry, needing to see the remorse he felt and concrete progress to even think of allowing Hermione in a room with him again. Fred felt similarly, attempting his best to keep his composure as his twin showed his anger, however it was his fierce love for Hermione that compelled him to walk into that room behind George, stride directly up to Ron, and punch him square in the jaw just as George drew his own fist back. George almost laughed at their alikeness.

It took another two weeks for the medical staff to let Fred visit again, although he knew that he just needed that one punch and they'd be able to sort out their issues from there. He was correct, of course, and though Ron was less than thrilled to see his brother again, he made the sincerest apology that Fred had ever heard from Ron, laced with only truth and no malice. Fred's response was one of brotherly love, a strong warning, and that Ron needed to be saying all of this to Hermione.

Finally Hermione was allowed to visit. Fred had told her only good things about his brother since his visits, but she couldn't help feeling anxious, especially at being unarmed in Ron's presence, although she was assured that there was nothing physical that he could do to harm her. That didn't reassure Hermione as much as she needed it to, considering the amount of emotional damage Ron had put her though as well. She stepped out of the white, hospital corridor where her reassuring fiancée waited for her, and into the warmth of the charmed room that Ron had been given. It was cosy in there with overstuffed armchairs in front of a fake fireplace with purple flickering flames, a single bed and a side table with a small pile of broccoli left on a tray from lunch, and windows that Hermione knew didn't lead to the view that was charmed into them at all. She coughed a little to announce her presence, unsure of what to do as Ron turned around and registered who he was seeing.

"I was wondering if they'd ever let me see you." Ron stepped away from a window and stopped, unsure how to proceed.

"To be honest, Ron, I was wondering the same thing." An awkward silence stretched for a moment.

"Sit down Hermione, I have a feeling we'll be here for a while." Ron sat in an armchair and Hermione placed herself on the sofa.

Ron was right, they were there for a while. After half an hour, Fred poked his head in the door to check on her, assuring that she was alright and resuming his position outside. Another hour went past and they were still talking, with Hermione's logical brain trying to sort through what she could believe and what she had to process away from her former best friend. After another half hour, a mediwitch knocked, asking Hermione to leave, but telling her the visiting times for the following day.

It took Hermione three more days to come back to see Ron. She was feeling much more level-headed and open, willing to forgive. She allowed Ron to explain everything to her from his point of view, from school to Hogsmeade trips to being on the run together, Ron never suspected her relationship with Fred. He explained how he was working through his anger issues, and also the fixation he had with her, apologising for virtually everything he could as it came up. She waited patiently for him to finish, allowing everything that he had told her to absorb, before she finally looked at him with new eyes.

"Ron, you really have changed, for the better. I truly hope that we can be friends again after this, and that you'll find yourself a girl who deserves this you, the real you." Hermione reached tentatively to touch his shoulder and looked him in the eyes as she said, "I forgive you, for everything that has happened over the years – and I'm sorry too, if I had been more trusting of you, less…" she trailed off for a moment before resolving to tell it as it was, "Less afraid of your anger, no matter what, I should have told you about my relationship with Fred. I was unfair to you."

Ron hesitated briefly before pulling her into a warm hug, "Our friendship means more to me than you'll ever know, Hermione. I want to continue to prove to you that I have changed, for good."

He stopped for a moment and went quiet, pulling back from the embrace and looking down, "I don't know if I'll ever stop loving you." A silent tear ran down Ron's cheek, "But I think that it can change." He looked up, "I think that this love, that's already full of friendship, co-dependency and family, is what I can work on, for the sake of our friendship."

Hermione was crying. She wanted her best friend back, and she almost had him. The future was righting itself as if remuneration for her difficult childhood.

"If you can work on that for me, then I need to ask you an important favour." Hermione paused looking away, unsure of herself for a moment.

"Anything." Ron nodded.

"Would you be in my bridal party, at the wedding?" Hermione looked up through her lashes, afraid he'd say no, afraid he'd lash out at her, afraid…

"Of course, I'd be honoured to." Ron replied simply, a smile she hadn't seen in months breaking through on his face.

* * *

 **Wedding**

Hermione was nervous, fussing over hair and makeup, ordering people around and generally turning into the most manic bridezilla ever to exist. Hermione was a perfectionist and **everything** had to be perfect. She had researched everything there could be to find about muggle and wizarding weddings, with the couple opting on a combination of both for their ceremony. The attire was muggle, with Fred donning a particularly dashing muggle three-piece suit in traditional black with a charmed golden rose and baby's breath boutonnière, bringing out his eyes and complementing his fiery hair, and Hermione in a floor length, ivory gown, fitted from bust through to her waist with a silk sash that flowed down the skirt to pool as a train behind her, then charmed layers of chiffon falling to her feet, twinkling as if there were dozens of galaxies woven into her dress. They had decided on Gryffindor colours as their theme, and the Burrow was to be where they were wed, like Bill and Fleur's wedding ("But without the death eaters." Fred joked). Her bridal party was a little odd for a traditional wedding, with Harry as her 'man-of-honour' and Ron and Angelina as bridesmaids (or bridesman). Fred's best man was George, of course, with Percy and Lee Jordan as his groomsmen.

"Where is my bouquet!?" Hermione's screech rang throughout her parent's home, where she was getting ready.

"Hermione Jean Granger, if you don't calm down this instance I am going to get one of those friends of yours to use their magic on you!" Her mother thundered back.

Fleur was doing her hair up in an elaborate bun, tucking pieces of baby's breath around it like a small wreath and adding a gold hair comb to one side, "This is mine," she explained, "for your something borrowed." She curled two tendrils of hair to frame Hermione's face, and then clapped her hands and smiled.

Ginny came along next before Hermione had a chance to even glimpse her reflection, putting her face through a rigorous facial routine which left Hermione feeling refreshed, albeit a little raw, then calming the skin with a mask before applying a natural makeup look to her face.

"Smack your lips together for me," Ginny instructed, then once that was over, "Perfect."

Hermione finally was allowed to look herself over in the mirror. She was beautiful, if she did say so herself.

"Your mother and I have your something old and something new," Molly came into the room.

"This was your great grandmother's necklace," Hermione's mother placed the golden chain around her neck. There was a teardrop ruby at the centre, hanging just below her collarbones, "It's been passed down to the ladies in the family and I couldn't think of a better time to give this to you than as your 'something old'."

"And I had this specially made for you, to match." Molly produced a black velvet pouch which contained an ornate looking golden cuff bracelet with an identical looking ruby set into the centre. Hermione slipped it over her wrist and felt it magically constrict to her arm yet not in an uncomfortable way, the filigree setting curling its way around her. "It's laced with protection charms and a drop of Felix Felicis."

Hermione was close to tears, "Thank you, both of you." She went to hug and kiss both of her mothers.

"If you ruin your makeup, I really **will** use my magic on you." Ginny chided from the corner.

Hermione chuckled but gasped, "I don't have anything blue!" she fretted.

"I have that one covered." Harry replied from the other side of the door, "Are you decent?"

"I am." Hermione replied as Fleur opened the door.

Harry stood gobsmacked in the doorway as he took in the sight of his best friend, his sister, looking absolutely stunning.

"You look perfect, Hermione." Harry stated, still dumbfounded at how beautiful she was, almost reliving the Yule Ball back in fourth year.

"Thank you, Harry." She smiled brightly back at him, absolutely radiant.

"So I was rummaging through my parent's' vault the other day, sorting it out and looking for something in particular for you, and I really do hope you like it and you accept it, but if not that's alright too." Harry rambled.

"Stop, whatever it is, I will love it." Hermione reassured him.

Harry pulled out a small box and opened it to reveal a ring.

"Harry," Hermione winked, "I'm already taken."

Harry blushed and stammered for a moment, glancing quickly at Ginny and looking away, "This is my family's crest." Harry pulled out the ring and held it up next to a matching ring on his own finger, "I found this one that was obviously set for a woman, and you're my sister, Hermione, so I thought that it was perfect for you."

It was Hermione's turn to be speechless. Tears once again threatened her eyes and Ginny pointed a wand at her face, casting waterproofing charms before Hermione could ruin all of her hard work.

"Harry, I don't know what to say to this. I think of you as my brother too, but this is more than I could ever accept." Hermione said, blinking the tears back, "Are you sure?"

"I'm as sure about this as you are about the recipe for a Polyjuice." Harry nodded and slipped the ring on the smallest finger of her right hand, "I know it's usually worn on the non-dominant hand, but I thought it'd look too cluttered with your wedding ring too."

Hermione studied the ring closer. It was a thin gold band that widened towards the signet which was printed in gold on a blue disc made from, what seemed to be, a real sapphire.

"This is beautiful, Harry." A tear slipped down Hermione's cheek and Harry came to embrace her, "I will treasure this forever."

* * *

Everyone that Fred and Hermione knew had gathered in the garden of the Burrow. All that she could make out through the kitchen window was Hagrid's large form at the back of the white folded seats next to Madame Maxime, his plus one.

Hermione took a shaky breath as the music started and the bridal party walked out one at a time, baskets of flower petals hung at the end of each row of chairs in the aisle which magically spread the petals in front of the procession.

Finally, her father took her arm and gave it a squeeze, "You're ready for this, sweetheart. You've been ready for this for years. It's time to go and meet your soulmate."

Hermione calmed then, feeling fully prepared, elated that she could finally be married to her true love.

As soon as she stepped out into the aisle, everyone rose. She tried to look around and smile at everyone, but her eyes were drawn to her future husband's face. Fred had a look of awe on his face, as though he had never seen anything so stunning in the entire universe. She was literally breathtaking. A tear slipped down his face as he smiled at her and suddenly the aisle felt too long and she was too far away from him. Kingsley was presiding over the ceremony, incorporating the muggle traditions and the magical bonding spells.

Finally, the closing of the ceremony was here and the bond between Fred and Hermione was on full display for everyone to see. Teddy Lupin was escorted closely by his grandmother, Andromeda, as he brought the rings to the bride and groom. Once the rings had been exchanged, Kingsley asked them to grasp left hands, watching as their bond grew brighter. He pointed his wand at the joined hands and began the incantation, first in Latin, then in English.

"These two come before you, great Magic, to join their hearts, minds, and souls to each other and to strengthen their bond to the magic that connects us all." He drew a line with his wand, which shot a golden thread around their hands and beamed down into the earth below them.

"As we all witness here today the joining of two true soulmates, let them be blessed with good health, prosperity, fertility, good fortune, and happiness in their future together." Another line found the golden threads wrapping around their arms and winding up to their hearts, beautiful over their white bond.

"They will love each other forever, with magic to strengthen this love, and the love that they will give and receive around them. This they promise." Kingsley finished by waving his wand in an infinity configuration, as everyone watched the golden thread glow brightly and wind tighter and tighter around them.

"This we promise." Fred and Hermione said in unison to complete the incantation. Momentarily, everyone was blinded by a white light, where Fred and Hermione could see only one another, much like when they had reformed their bond many months ago, however this time it completed them both, like two halves of a whole person. Their heartbeats synced, their magic pulsed around them, two soulmates bonding forever. The golden thread of light from the marriage bond had woven its way around the existing white stream of light, spreading from Fred's heart to Hermione's.

After a moment of composure, Kingsley concluded, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Golden sparks erupted over their heads as the newlyweds clashed their lips together in an intoxicating kiss. They turned to the crowd and raised their joined hands in the air, watching tear-streaked faces whistle and cheer as they walked the aisle together as a married couple. They kissed again at the end of the aisle and walked off together for a moment's privacy before the festivities continued.

* * *

 **Honeymoon**

Immediately after the reception, the couple left for their honeymoon. They took a portkey to a tropical island which they'd found when looking for magical holiday destinations. Their bags had been sent ahead of them and it was late at night when they finally arrived, utterly exhausted from the entire day, along with the dancing and festivities of the night.

"So how does it feel, being Mrs Hermione Weasley?" Fred asked as they walked along the beach towards their villa.

"It feels…" Hermione trailed off to find a suitable word, "It feels right."

Fred smiled at this and draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

They arrived at the villa and Hermione unlocked the door and pushed it open, but Fred held her back.

"I have to carry you over the threshold. Your mum told me it's a muggle tradition." Fred scooped her up in his arms and walked sideways into the room, placing her gently back on her feet.

Hermione laughed as she shut the door behind them, "Thank you, sweetheart, it means a lot to me that you take the time to learn my culture."

They talked for a while about the wedding, exhausted but not sleepy yet, as Hermione used spells to take off her makeup, undo her hair, and clean her face.

"Would you like to help me with my dress?" Hermione asked, it was a leading question, and they both knew where tonight was going.

"Of course." Fred's eyes darkened slightly, but ever the gentleman he spun her around and began slowly undoing her dress. It was laced up the back with crisscrossing ribbon which looked beautiful but was absolutely impractical to take off. Once the dress had been slipped off (and hung correctly on a rack in the closet) he turned to marvel his girlfr-fian-wife, **his** wife. She stood in only a pair of white lacy underwear and a matching strapless balconette bra, along with a garter on her right thigh.

"May I help you?" Hermione asked seductively as she walked her way towards Fred slowly and deliberately.

"O-of course." He managed. He probably needed her help getting out of his clothes, his pants were definitely straining a little on the tight side all of a sudden.

She slid his jacket off, unbuttoned his vest, and removed his tie all very quickly. Her fingers deftly unbuttoned his shirt and she all but ripped it off his body. Standing there in only his pants, Fred felt as though he couldn't want this woman more. She unbuckled his belt and slid it from the waistband of his pants. Then, slowly, ever so slowly, she unbuttoned the top and slid the zipper down, pulling his pants down to reveal his tight, black underwear that hid nothing.

"I want you, Hermione." Fred said as he pulled her close to him. They embraced for a moment and then began kissing short bursts of passionate kisses. They both knew what each other needed and wanted, after years of dating, every pleasure zone, every movement was known to each other.

"I need you, Fred." Hermione moaned as Fred began to undo her bra and pull her underwear off, sucking a nipple into his mouth and swirling his tongue around.

She made quick work of his underwear and then they were on the bed, bodies tangled together. They pressed themselves as close together as they could be. They needed to feel skin on skin, their hands coming to rest on each other's' chests, hearts beating as one. Looking into each other's' eyes, Fred entered her. They moved fast and deliberately, knowing that they had all honeymoon to do whatever they pleased, and right now they needed to be closer, needed to feel each other. The room around them was bathed in white light as they consummated their marriage, one final strengthening of their bond, but they took almost no notice, too focused on being with each other. They moved together, faster and faster, hips locking against hips, lips crashing together in passion and fire, hands tangled in hair, backs arching, legs shaking. She moaned, he cried out, the strokes were becoming frenzied, erratic, this was bliss. They came with each other, screaming each other's name, moving together until they were both spent.

They lay next to each other, legs still tangled together as Hermione rolled on to her side to snuggle against her husband. She placed kisses on his shoulder and down his arm until he pulled her on to his chest in a position where they both fell asleep, utterly exhausted.

* * *

 **Children**

Hermione had fallen pregnant sometime during their honeymoon, although she swears that it was that first night. When she found out it was twins, she almost fainted. It was almost time for her to give birth and she was growing restless.

"Fred, I hate this." Hermione stroked her bloated belly as she lay on the couch.

"I know, love, but soon our little ones will be here." Fred replied, down the other end of the couch, massaging her swollen feet.

"I'm so confused. I feel so muddled. I feel so unlike me." She huffed, "I'm tired, hungry, horny and I want to cry. How is this even possible? Why would anyone want to be pregnant!?"

"Do you need me to get you anything?" Fred soothed.

"I don't even know what I want anymore." Hermione sighed.

"That's alright, let me know if you do." He was honestly the best husband.

* * *

Two days later, Fred took the pre-packed hospital bag and a very in labour Hermione through the Floo to St Mungo's. They greeted her with a wheelchair and guided them into a private room where they were met by her doctor, who promised her "any minute now!". Fred asked a nearby nurse to send word to their close relatives that Hermione was in labour and soon enough, a clan of Weasleys, Harry, and the respective partners, all fitted out an entire waiting room.

"Fred Weasley, that doctor lied to me!" Hermione gritted out as she breathed rapidly through the pain.

"Love, it hasn't been too long. What can I do to make you more comfortable?" Fred came over to her side, gripping her hand.

"Ice." Hermione managed as she felt another contraction and almost severed the fingers on Fred's hand.

Another hour later of screams and contractions and the doctor gave Hermione the all clear to begin pushing.

Two beautiful baby girls, both with the signature Weasley red hair and Hermione's curls. They named them Harriet Jean and Georgina Molly, with first names for their uncles Harry and George, and middle names from their grandmothers. Hermione was absolutely spent, but visiting took even longer than she would've expected, with every single person related to them asking to hold the babies or take photos. George, Angelina, Harry and Ginny were the last to leave, with George and Harry almost teary eyed at the names, not wanting to leave their nieces just yet.

"Come back tomorrow, let my beautiful wife have her rest." Fred ushered them out of the room.

When they were finally alone, Fred crawled into bed beside his wife, pulling her exhausted body close to him and whispering encouraging words to her. The babies slept in a crib next to them, small and beautiful.

"We made babies." Fred whispered in awe.

"Half me, and half you." Hermione responded sleepily.

They lay tangled together, foreheads pressed against each other and shared a sweet kiss.

"I love you, Fred Weasley."

"I love you too, Hermione Weasley."

 **The End**

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for reading. Let me get a couple things out of the way, firstly, I want to say that although I don't agree with it myself I had to write Hermione as obliviating her parents, which I understand is what the movie says she does, but it's pretty highly debated that she modifies other charms to erase only her from their memories, especially in the books, in saying that I didn't go too far into it because it just didn't need it. Secondly, I understand that twins having twins is actually quite rare, but I couldn't pick a single child's name and I only wanted to write her pregnant once, so that was my choice. Otherwise, I hope that everything satisfies.**

 **Any questions, comments, or love/hate, please leave in the reviews and I will happily get back to you!**

 **Until the next story xxx**


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